


The Emotional Roller Coaster Of Life

by Jadiona



Series: Roller Coaster [1]
Category: Twilight Series - All Media Types
Genre: AH - Freeform, Angst, Drabble, Drama, Family, Multi, Pain, Romance, Tragedy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-16
Updated: 2019-05-24
Packaged: 2019-07-13 01:32:47
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 209
Words: 120,164
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16007507
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jadiona/pseuds/Jadiona
Summary: This story is all human; meaning no vampires, no werewolves, and no magic. Nine lives with intersecting paths. One woman is married while in love with another, her husband isn't any better. Another woman is stuck with something she's never wanted. One brother is a cop, another is married to someone who is broken. Rated M. AH. Drabble fic. Warning in opening chapter





	1. Prolegomenon

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: This story is all human; meaning no vampires, no werewolves, and no magic. This story is a drabble fic, or... at least my version of one. It means that the normal chapter will be somewhere between the low end of 300 words to the high end of about 1000 words. The major exception to that is going to be this opening. This opening is to introduce you to the characters of the story. There are nine "main" characters that will make up the entirety of the story. Those characters are Bella, Jacob, Edward, Alice, Jasper, Rosalie, Emmett, Leah, and Seth. The story as a whole will be in third person, but each drabble chapter will focus on one of those nine characters, again, this opening is an exception to that. Since the chapters will be so short, I strongly suspect that I will usually be posting a chapter a day... that may turn out to be a lie though as this story is not a priority for me, it's more something I'm doing to give my mind a break for the more heavy (completely ironic, since this story is going to deal with really heavy topics) stories of mine.
> 
> Warning: This story may contain some very disturbing realities. Sex isn't always all that pretty. This story has a lot of rough truths and some of this story is based roughly on real events. This story will have drugs, suicide, cutting, alcohol, and sex. This story will also make reference to abuse and rape, though they will not occur in this story. If any of the a-fore mentioned stuff is too difficult for you to read than I strongly recommend that you don't read this story.

**Prolegomenon**

**_**July 21** _ ** **_**st** _ ** **_**, 2006** _ **

Rosalie held the flute of sparkling white grape juice in her hand and watched as Bella, her sister, laughed happily with her arms wrapped around her husband's neck as she was bent backward at the waist. Jacob leaned down and kissed Bella soundly on the lips.

"That's my daughter you're kissing like that," Charlie rumbled as he headed over to them. Bella and Rosalie's father had come to her wedding in his only suit – meaning his police uniform. At fifty-three, their dad was still a handsome codger. He'd been the chief of police for over thirty years and was proud of that fact. Aside from his two daughters, it was the only thing he was truly proud of.

Jacob pulled Bella back up to a standing position. "And she's my wife." No one could claim that Jacob didn't love Bella. They were beautiful together, happy and in love in a storybook kind of way. They were, in a word, perfect. Jacob, a year younger than Bella, had only just graduated from high school two months prior.

Rosalie had a business meeting in Seattle early tomorrow morning to discuss the chance of getting her clothing line off the ground and knew she should leave so she could get to her apartment and get a decent night's sleep, but she wanted to be here for her little sister. Besides, it was her first time back in Forks in almost two years, and she hadn't realized how much she missed small town life.

A lot of the people she'd grown up knowing were at the reception. Milling around the table were some of her friends, some of Bella's, and some of her dad's. While towards the back were the  _cool kids_ also known as the people from the Res. They were friends and family to Jacob, but to Rosalie, they were friends, lovers, confidants, and – in a couple of cases – enemies.

Her first ever love, Samuel Uley, was standing with his arms wrapped around his wife of fourteen years, Emily. Rosalie and Sam had had a brief fling the summer before she'd moved away to Seattle. He was ten years older than her, and – looking back – she realized she'd been in way over her head. But at the time, she'd believed him when he told her he was going to leave his wife and marry her.

She supposed she was grateful that he hadn't actually meant it. She didn't have time for a husband, love or anything like that... maybe in twelve years or so, once her career was stable, she could consider marrying someone with the right genes to have a child so that she could pass on her empire. For now, any sexual desire she had could be fulfilled by her eleven-inch long, blood-red silicone Demetri.

Near Samuel and Emily were Rebecca with her husband, Solomon, and her twin sister, Rachel. Rebecca and Solomon and flown to Washington from Hawaii just so Rebecca could be there for her little brother, Jacob, at his wedding. Rachel, who had far less distance to come, was also there to see the older of her two younger brothers married, while she monitored their other little brother, Seth.

For Seth, at thirteen, he was at that age where he was desperate to get out from under Rachel's thumb, desperate to be anywhere but there. The wedding had seemed to drag on  _and on_. And now he was stuck at the reception where the food consisted of finger sandwiches, dry things called tea cakes, and disgusting look meats called cuisses de grenouille and escargo – the first looked suspiciously like frogs legs and the second was served in small shells like that of a snail. There also was only some fancy sort of orange blossom tea and sparkling juice. He sincerely wanted to ask his brother, Jacob, where the soda and hamburgers were, though he was aware that Jacob had nothing to do with the refreshments.

Next to Seth, was Leah, his sort-of not-really step-sister. She was fourteen and bored out of her mind. She'd gone to the wedding because her mom had a thing for the bride's father and was only able to go if she and her two half brothers did as well. Leah was responsible for keeping her six-year-old half-brother, Embry, and her five-year-old half-brother, Quil, in line. It was a difficult task... or it would be if she was actually bothering to do it. Though the truth was that she was too busy blushing and trying not to be caught staring at Jacob. They'd lived in the same house for four years, and though they weren't blood, they had been – basically – brother and sister during that time. So she didn't really understand where the crush had originally come from, but it was there all the same

Also from the Res were Jared, Paul, Brady, Collin, and Kim. They were all there for Jacob's sake. Back on the dance floor, Jacob handed his new wife off to her father so they could share a dance. Jacob felt like there was a target on his back and had been one ever since he'd asked Bella to marry him two months prior. He'd fallen in love with Bella the first day he'd laid eyes on her, and at the time he hadn't even known her name – that had been ten years ago. He'd told his dad that first day that someday he was going to marry the girl with the heart-shaped face. At the time his father had laughed and placated him with a pat on the head. He wished his dad was here to see it, but his dad had been dead for over four years now.

Jacob hadn't realized – when he'd asked Bella to marry him – that the instant conclusion would be she was pregnant, but that was what  _everyone_ had thought. Both his friends and hers. She claimed she didn't care, but he couldn't help but feel guilty over what he'd started. In spite of that, he was the happiest he'd ever been. Today, he got to start his forever with the love of his life. It didn't even matter to him that the food and drinks were too frilly for their tastes. It was free food, paid for by Jasper, Bella and Rosalie's first cousin.

Jasper, at twenty-three, had only just gotten back home from his second two-year tour in Iraq four months ago – of course, that didn't include the three months in rehab in Georgia. He wouldn't be returning for a third tour though. The fifteen pieces of shrapnel still buried under his left shoulder-blade ensured he'd never go back to active duty.

Of course, the truth was that even if he could go back, he wouldn't. He now had a reason to stay in Forks. When he'd originally left to join the army, he'd never even noticed the little pixie-like girl that was four years younger than him. But she'd caught his eye the first time he'd seen her after coming home. He'd run into her in a small bakery in Port Angeles as they'd both been trying to place an order for a wedding cake... for the same wedding.

She'd cursed him up and down and then somehow convinced him to pay for a bunch of french style food that he was later certain his cousin would hate – but at the time everything Alice, Bella's best friend, had spouted to him had made perfect sense. When he'd told Bella what had happened, his head hanging in shame, she'd actually laughed – claiming that was just Alice. Jasper now couldn't tear his eyes from petite Alice. He knew it was his cousin's wedding, but he swore to himself it would be his and Alice's soon.

Alice could feel the eyes of the handsome stranger – as she'd taken to calling him – on her back. He was the first man who'd ever made her feel truly beautiful and loved. Oh, her twin brother loved her, she knew, but most of the time he was too high or too drunk for her to recognize it. She didn't blame him for his coping mechanisms as they were probably healthier than her own. Of course, they both had that cross to bear. Their father had raped and abused them both when they were growing up, the scars on her body under her clothes were an active and vivid reminder of just how badly fucked up her childhood had been – and those scars didn't include the one hidden under her full-length sleeves.

As she watched her brother, he pulled something out of his pants pocket, and she immediately started to march over to him.

Edward had promised both Alice and Bella that he would stay completely stone-cold sober for the entirety of the wedding, but he was practically vibrating with the need for a hit. He couldn't remember the last time that he'd gone over twelve hours without a hit of something. Bella was his friend – the only one who'd ever tried to get him and his sister help – and he knew that he was supposed to be supportive, for her, but he just couldn't do it. She didn't get it, no one did. Eighteen solid years under the roof of a house with a sexually, physically, and emotionally abusive man had destroyed him. He knew it had destroyed Alice too. But she hid it better than him.

Him, if he closed his eyes and he wasn't drunk or high... Then all he could see was the black leather belt and ten-inch long erect penis of his father's, all he could hear were sounds of skin hitting skin and of being told he was nothing more than a dirty whore, all he could feel was sweat and the sensation of the blistering and burning as his back was used as an ashtray, and all he could smell was burning flesh.

It was because of this that he pulled out the needle with the heroin in it, but he didn't even get it to his arm before Alice was right in his face and grabbing it out of his hand.

"Not here," she hissed as she stuffed it in her purse before pulling out a flask and handing it to him.

He immediately opened the lid and took a swig while she rolled her eyes heavenward and prayed for patience.

Only two people saw the interaction between Alice and her brother. One of them was Jasper and the other, his half-brother, Emmett. Emmett – the new deputy with the police department – had come at Chief Swan's insistence.

Emmett was twenty-four and too old to really care about the young couple getting married. He'd learned the statistics when he'd taken psychology and criminology at college, so he knew that a couple of teens getting married probably wouldn't last a year.

He  _had_  been pleasantly surprised to see Rosalie there. Unfortunately, she hadn't even glanced his way once. She was two years his junior, but he still remembered her first day of high school. She'd turned heads, including his. In spite of being a freshman, she'd immediately fallen in with a crowd of senior girls, including Tanya, Maria, and Kate. They'd all moved on now, including Rosalie. He'd heard that Rosalie was trying to become a clothing designer, and they'd all seen the movies that Tanya was starring in down in California. Kate and Maria too – had made it big.

Still, he couldn't help but hope that Rosalie would give him at least five minutes of her time. He'd make them five minutes that she'd never forget, even if it wasn't anything more than talking – though he sure hoped it was  _a lot_  more than talking.

Still, as he watched the interaction between the twins, he couldn't help but frown.

On the dance floor, Bella, unaware of what was going on outside of her own world – at least for this one day – stepped away from her dad as the song finished. Then she headed over to her sister. They hugged each other tightly.

"You need to go," Bella said. She knew her sister had a huge day tomorrow.

"It's fine," Rosalie muttered.

"Rooose." Bella dragged out the first syllable of her sister's name. "Go. I know tomorrow is your big shot. I want you to have it. Besides, Jacob and I will be leaving soon."

"Are you ready?"

"For a honeymoon in Alaska, no. But when it's all expenses paid... I'm not gonna complain. We'll just stay in our cabin the entire time."

Rosalie leaned toward her sister, placing her mouth at her ear. "Sis, I think if you weren't, then you're probably doing it wrong."

Bella shoved her sister halfheartedly as she laughed in delight.

Rosalie kissed her sister on the forehead then headed over to hug her father goodbye. She didn't know it at the time, but it would be the last time she ever hugged her father.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: The first chapter, which will probably be posted sometime tomorrow, is set five years after the events in this opening. If you are a little confused about who's who, how they're related, ages, etc... then there will be making a post later today or tomorrow on my blog, anewrebirth dot blogspot dot com, that will show those details.


	2. Chapter 1 - Waking Up (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: While the relationships will become pretty obvious, pretty quickly, the basic ones are as follows. Bella x Jake (married), Bella x Edward (lovers), Jake x Leah (lovers), Leah x Seth (engaged), Alice x Jasper (married), Emmett x Rosalie (undetermined)

**Chapter 1 – Waking Up (Jacob)**

_**July 25th, 2011** _

As he woke up, Bella was growling to herself.

"Get up on the wrong side of the bed, Bells," he murmured softly.

"Fuck you, Jacob Black," Bella snarled as she grabbed her cell phone off the bedside table.

Oh fuck, what did he do wrong  _this time_? She had been back to calling him Jake last night, and he didn't remember doing anything to upset her. Did he call out Leah's name in his sleep again? Shit if he did, because he didn't remember it.

"What's the matter, love?" he asked quietly, trying to correct the situation – no matter what the hell the situation was.

"Bullshit, Jacob Black, this whole goddamn marriage is a farce, and you know it," Bella snapped, grabbing her purse and heading out of the bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

He had no idea why she was so mad at him, though she hadn't lied. It had been three years since he had started seeing Leah, and two and a half since she had started seeing Edward. The thing was – they did love each other – they just weren't compatible as a married couple. The only thing that could possibly secure their marriage, and renew the undying love that they once had... was a child.

Sadly, Bella had already been pregnant five times – none of which had ended successfully. Only one time had she actually carried to term, and they had ended up losing their boy three days after he was born to SIDs, while three of the other four had been miscarriages, and the final a stillborn – three and a half months early.

William Charles Black had never had a chance to live. The loss of their son had been the main thing that had destroyed their already tenuous relationship. After the first two pregnancies had ended in miscarriages, they'd both gotten tested. He'd initially worried that he was the issue – it turned out that it was his wife's issue though. She could get pregnant easily enough, but her uterus apparently had a weak wall due to all the alcohol and crank that had been pumped into Bella's system when she'd still been in her mother's womb. It wasn't her fault – Jacob had known it even four years ago when he'd screamed at her that she was the reason for their losses, unfortunately, the damage was done the instant it was out of his mouth. When she'd ended up pregnant her third time and successfully managed to have their precious son, it had seemed a miracle.

After that, Bella stayed up and watched their son constantly, but she'd needed a break, and so he'd offered to watch him so she could sleep. Their son had been sleeping so soundly that Jacob had actually dozed off in the little nursery they'd set up. When Jacob had woken up to Bella's pained wail a few scant hours later, their son had already been cold. The doctors had assured them both that SIDs just sometimes happened and there was nothing they could have done, but they both still blamed him for it.

Her pain had been what had initially driven him into the arms of another – and his infidelity had been what had driven her to it.

Fuck. Jacob shook his head vigorously as he commanded himself to stop thinking of his screwed up life. He picked up his cellphone and dialed Leah's number. He'd have her come over and make his life better. Leah's soon to be husband, his brother, Seth, was still in school, so he didn't have to worry. He'd never find out – not that he didn't already know about the relationship Jacob had with his fiancée.

Jake had to stop thinking about his brother, too.


	3. Chapter 2 - Unwanted (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: For the record, if the date is the same as the previous chapter(s), there will be no date noted. So this chapter, and the next few, are also July 25th, 2011.

**Chapter 2 – Unwanted (Rosalie)**

She stared at the letter in her hands from the doctor's office before shaking her head in frustration. She couldn't believe she was pregnant and with the goddamn joker's child of all people. Why did it have to be Emmett? If the time of conception had only been a week or two later it would have been fine – that would have been Felix's or Santiago's child. But no, the one goddamn time she slept with Emmett was the one fucking time she ended up pregnant. Of course... it was all the more proof that she should have just stayed faithful to her Demetri.

She didn't have time for being pregnant. Her business was her main and only focus. She had deadlines to keep, papers to file, documents to sign, people to fire, models to hire, and so much more. She could not be expected to take a leave of absence, not any time soon, anyways – and certainly not in a mere six months when she'd be due to have this kid. For her, in her line of work, taking a few weeks off would be the equivalent of walking away for ten years. It would completely destroy her fashion line, and she knew it.

She should abort the pregnancy for the sake of her career... but she couldn't do that, not to her sister, Bella. Her sister had tried again and again to get pregnant. Most women were like Rose, able to get pregnant and have a child without trying to, wanting to, or meaning to. Bella, on the other hand, had done everything to have a child. And here she was, upset because she was absolutely healthy but pregnant – she wished her doctor had written her back saying she was unhealthy and had ulcers or something instead of what it did say. She glanced down again at the letter from the doctor's office still in her hands, snorting as she dropped it to the floor.

Her first instinct was to bend down, pick it up, and file it away with her other medical records, but she stepped over it instead, ignoring it altogether.

She would give her child to her sister after she had it. Bella needed to have a child, and so did her husband. Their marriage was inches from falling apart altogether, and they already were the laughing stock of the town. They each had a lover, they each were unfaithful, but a child would save their marriage and rebind their relationship.

And if Bella turned her child down – not that she would – Alice would gladly accept a child. She was utterly incapable of having one – thanks to her bastard of a father.

Rosalie headed into her office, formerly her father's old bedroom, to get to work on making the final decisions for the fall line-up. She missed him dearly, but she was trying to do him proud, trying to make her life count for something... and trying to take care of the woman he'd loved at the very end – as well as that woman's children...

When she sat down at her desk, she pulled out her checkbook and wrote out another five thousand dollar check to Sue Swan, sealing it up in an envelope to her. She knew it would be mailed back unopened and then she would put it in the trusts she'd set up for her little half-sister, Claire, her step-sister, Leah, and her two step-brothers, Embry and Quil. All of them set up to be paid out when they each turned twenty-one. Still... she tried every month to give the money to Sue anyways, as she knew she needed it.


	4. Chapter 3 - Mistake (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> Warning: I'm not going to give warnings every time a chapter has hard to discuss content, but I will state it this time as a reminder, sensitive content ahead.

**Chapter 3 – Mistake (Jasper)**

He stepped back from my wife after carefully taking the box cutter from her. He couldn't believe they were here, again. She had been making progress. True, it had been slow going, but there had been progress, nonetheless.

He needed to call her brother, but he couldn't stand too – not knowing what he'd have to tell him, especially since he was at fault. Dammit, he had fucking known better. He needed to call the clinic in Seattle and let her doctor, Mr. Morgan, know what had happened, but he didn't want to do that either.

He slammed his fist into the wall, why the fuck had he agreed?  _Fuck_ , there was a word he needed to remove from my vocabulary, because if it hadn't been for that word – or the meaning behind it – they wouldn't be here now.

She had begged him, and dammit, he had known better. But she had begged, and he'd never been able to tell her no. She was his Little Miss, his whole world, and he always gave her whatever she desired. He should have told her no, though.

It was hard enough on her mental health when they just made love – to fuck her had been the worst mistake of his life. Because there she was – her arms wrapped around her knees as she cowered against the wall – a scant dozen or so feet from him physically, but over a thousand miles away mentally. She hadn't even noticed it when his fist had made yet another hole in the plaster, which would typically either cause her to shrink back in fear or yell at him, depending on her mood.

Her doctor, who he had to force her to go see – mostly so she could stare mutely in traitorous silence for the hour-long sessions she had with him – believed she likely had PTSD and bipolar disorder, but neither had been verified as she refused to open up to him. Jasper knew she wouldn't go at all if it hadn't been for his begging, but she needed help, even if she didn't want it.

Jasper's own diagnosed and decently well-maintained PTSD had been what had prompted him to cajole, threaten, and beg his Little Miss to get help for her issues. Still, since she didn't really want it, didn't like talking about her past... her going there wasn't even a fourth of the battle, forget about half.

He couldn't believe he had been the catalyst to this. After the way her father had treated her and her brother, Edward – he had known better. Edward Sr. had abused them both, put them both through hell, and to anyone who knew their history, they'd think Edward was the one that had been hit the hardest by it. But Jasper knew better. Alice hid it well when she was out and about, using long sleeve shirts or wearing cardigans and always wearing full-length pants or skirts that kept any of her skin from being revealed. It was different at home though. He could see the scars she covered up when in public – both the physical ones and the mental. It was all bared to him, at least to his eyes, even though she never actually spoke of it.

He knew, without being told, that Alice had been more than just physically abused by her father – although, Bella, had quietly advised him of the surgery Alice had to have when she was fourteen after the abortion she had to have done, had given her an infection. Jasper had seen the scars on her back made from cigarette burns and of someone hitting her with the buckle of a belt. He also knew the other scars on her body, the self-made ones. Lines, some jagged and rough from broken glass, others fine and thin from razor blades and knives – much like the one he'd just taken from her.

Both Edward and Alice had found some form of coping mechanism. For Edward, it had been drugs, and for his Little Miss, it was blood-letting.

"I'm going to call Mr. Morgan so we can get you an appointment," he said softly, stepping forward and kneeling down in front of her.

His words caught her attention enough that she opened her eyes and shook her head adamantly. "No. He'll want to hospitalize me, mandatory seventy-two-hour stay. I don't want to  _do that_." Jasper frowned, which she spotted immediately. "Please, Jas. I'll be fine, I promise."

He sighed, his will crumbling under her plea. "I'm calling your brother then." She frowned but didn't argue as he pulled out his cell phone, and dialed Edward's number. He'd answer because the only reason Jasper called was if it was bad news about his sister.


	5. Chapter 4 - Up The Creek (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 4 – Up The Creek (Leah)**

Jacob was sitting on the bed waiting for her when she arrived at his house. He was in his usual just-woke-up gear; pants, nothing else. No boxers either; She'd stake her life on it. He watched Leah as she wandered toward him. His eyes were hungry, and she knew where this was heading. She had come prepared.

Leah wondered why they were doing this here... It wouldn't be the first time Bella wrung his neck – if she caught them. He usually insisted they go somewhere else, something must have really upset him to ask her to come here; it was probably  _her_. Jealousy swept through Leah, why they were married was beyond her. Bella didn't deserve him, and she never had.

Yet Leah knew they loved each other, to an extent. He just loved her a million times more, and she loved him a trillion times more than Bella would ever love him. Sometimes Leah wondered why she was marrying his little brother, Seth, but she knew. In some sick, twisted way it brought her closer to Jake, and that was why she was marrying Seth.

Seth knew about her relationship with his brother, and she swore she would stop, but Seth and she both knew it was a lie. She dropped her purse to the floor and proceeded to undo her full-length coat, letting Jake enjoy the show. Leah was wearing a sexy little lingerie number underneath, and nothing else. She finally dropped her jacket to the floor as Jake started growling.

He never liked to be teased for long. Leah stepped over to the bed and crawled to him. His hands grabbed her top immediately. She was shocked that there'd be no foreplay today.

"I'm sorry, lover, but I don't know when Bella will get back, and frankly, we both know it's best if you aren't here," Jacob murmured as he kissed her neck.

Leah hated that he cared enough about Bella to give a damn about  _her_  opinion. But no matter how much of his heart Leah owned, Bella would always possess some. And she hated her for that.

Leah grabbed his pants shoving them down as far as she could make them go. He pulled her top the rest of the way off, and then shifted and pulled down his own pants the rest of the way. While he removed his pants, Leah quickly removed her lacy bottoms.

He pressed her onto the bed, and then he was in her. She was always slightly pained when he first pushed into her as he was too big, but she quickly adjusted. He latched his mouth onto her throat and started sucking. She'd have a mark to remember today by.

With each lunge, he got closer to his release and brought her nearer to hers. Each thrust sent a thousand particles of happiness through her. Each caress left her breathless and begging for more. She threw out words, expletives mostly, but she couldn't tell you what she said if she tried.

Just as she was about to find her release, and he was extremely close to his as well, they both heard Bella's shouted, "JACOB BLACK, GET YOUR ASS IN HERE, NOW."

Oh fuck, the Mrs. was home.

Jacob immediately pulled out of her, leaving her unsatisfied. He grabbed his pants and made a dash for the kitchen. She watched his naked ass run out the bedroom door. She could bring herself to relief as she'd done it before, but that wasn't what she really needed. Sighing, she got up to get dressed and leave.


	6. Chapter 5 - Lost (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 5 – Lost (Bella)**

Bella got home from the hospital to find the whore's car at the house again, and she swore up and down she'd kill her husband this time. Bella thought she'd been pregnant again, but she hadn't, or if she had, she'd lost it so early that the doctors couldn't tell – she didn't know which idea was worse, honestly.

"Jacob Black, get your ass in here, now," she shouted from the kitchen.

She leaned back against the counter, folding her arms over her chest, and tapped her foot impatiently against the tile floor while Jacob stumbled in. Bella could remember a time when she had called him Jake and Jakey. She had loved him then, but she didn't love him anymore – she swore she didn't. She hadn't loved him in a long time... Well, not really. Their whole marriage was a farce, and everyone in the town of Forks knew it.

Jacob finally managed to make it in. Only one leg in his pants as he was hopping up and down trying to get his other leg in. He was wearing no briefs, hard-on still evident, and sex hair apparent. Bella's already deadly fury hit an all-time high.

"What did I do wrong this time?" Jacob asked impatiently, yep, the whore was definitely here again.

"Is that fucking whore here, again?" Bella snarled; he knew how she felt about having that bitch here. She accepted that he cheated on her, she wasn't much better than him, but Bella didn't bring Edward home with her.

"She isn't a whore," Jacob said defensively.

"Really," she sneered, "So she isn't about to marry your little brother then, all the while sleeping with you. It's no fucking wonder that I can never carry to term, I probably fucking got HIV from her, through you."

"She doesn't have HIV, and you know it."

"Oh, I do, do I? And just how many men and  _women_  has she done the dirty with."

"Like you fucking have any complaining rights, Isabella Marie, you want to blame someone for your miscarriages why don't you go blame that coke-head you sleep with. And you call me bad."

"At least he has some fucking size, and besides doing someone who does cocaine is a hell of a lot better than doing someone who has herpes."

"Would you make up your god damned mind already, at first you claim she has HIV and now you're claiming she has herpes," he shouted loudly.

"HIV, herpes, crabs, you can take your fucking pick, she probably has them all. And what's worse, she may actually have an excuse for sleeping with you, she's young, but you don't have that excuse. You're 23, Jacob Black; you have no excuse whatsoever to be sleeping with your little brother's fiancée," she snarled angrily.

Just then Leah snuck past the entrance to the kitchen.

Bella's voice turned angelic as she hollered to her, "Leah, come back again anytime, I insist. We love to have you."

The door opened a second later and then she was gone, and Jacob and Bella were alone.

"Well, Isabella, at least I haven't slept with your older sister in the way you slept with my little brother, while he was still a fucking minor, at that."

It had been purely oral, but Bella didn't correct Jacob on that fact. "He was consenting to it, Jacob, and besides if I hadn't taught your little brother the finer points of sex, he still wouldn't have gotten any. We both know that Leah isn't sleeping with him because she's too busy fucking you."

"Like I said, at least I don't sleep with a coke-head."

"Really, you really want to get into my love life with Edward." He didn't though, not really. Because if he knew the truth, he'd have to admit how in the wrong he was. "He and Alice both had screwed up childhoods, you know that, Jacob. You saw the bruises on them, and you know what their father did to them. Besides, Jacob, at least I haven't slept with anyone of my own sex."

"You really want to get into the one night stand I had with Emmett that you joined in on. It wasn't like you didn't enjoy that night as much as me."

"Fuck you, Jacob Black," Bella snarled. She took a deep breath, closing her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose – a habit she had picked up from Edward. She opened my eyes again, dropping her hand. "As much fun as it is to hash out all the women you've fucked and all the men I've fucked, that isn't why I'm angry. I thought I was pregnant again, but I wasn't. Dammit, Jake, why can't we have this one thing?"

Jake's eyes softened, he knew how badly Bella wanted a child. They both wanted a child, actually. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"I would have only been about 2 months in and I didn't want to get your hopes up, Jake. Turns out I was right not to."

"You still should have told me," he whispered as he came up to her.

"Why? So you could get all hopeful like we have the last five times, and then have me break all our hopes again." She started crying. It seemed like she was always crying and if she wasn't crying... she was fucking someone, specifically Jacob more than Edward.

The truth was that, in spite of her husband's beliefs, she didn't sleep with Edward all that often. She wasn't innocent, of course. She definitely had slept with Edward a few time over the last two and a half years, but she wouldn't be with him when he was high, and he almost always was. Most of her relationship with Edward was just a deep friendship – a far from platonic one, but still.

Jake wrapped his arms around her. "It's okay baby, this isn't your fault. We'll try again…" He latched his lips on hers, and she kissed him back desperately, needing what he still gave her. When he finally pulled away, he finished his sentence that he had trailed off on. "Now." His lips were on hers once again.

If there was only one thing she loved about Jake, it was the makeup sex.


	7. Chapter 6 - Two Steps Back (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: For the record, I don't normally post twice in a night, but I decided I needed to clear something up.
> 
> The definition of cheating per dictionary dot com: Cheat – Chēt/ – informal – be sexually unfaithful – eg: "his wife was cheating on him"
> 
> Based on this definition, there are only two people that are cheaters in the grouping of nine main characters. Those two are Jacob and Bella, and since they have been like that for the better part of three years and are both aware yet are doing nothing to change it, there is a morality question that comes into play – "Is it really cheating?" Relationship experts (yes, I'm talking about certain marriage counselors) will tell you there is such a thing as being in a complacent relationship, which is the true definition of what Bella and Jacob are in. They do have a very messed up belief that having a child will fix the damage in their relationship, which is not traditional in most complacent relationships, but it's part of their character psyche. As for the other seven characters, Leah and Seth are in an open relationship, Emmett, Rosalie and Edward are all single, and Jasper and Alice are completely faithful to each other.

**Chapter 6 – Two Steps Back (Alice)**

She hated herself for cowering on the floor like a wounded animal.

She'd been married to Jasper for more than four years and knew him from the inside out. He was good, a bright speck of light, her beautiful, handsome stranger. He always had been that. It was why she had wanted something  _more_  than what they normally shared.

She'd been out of her father's house since she was sixteen, had actually lived in a happy and safe environment for the entirety of her Junior and Senior year, and after graduating high school she'd moved out on her own – and that was five years ago. She should be over her issues by now, should be normal. She  _wanted_ to be normal.

As she saw Jasper turn his back to her, his voice a low background noise to her, every muscle in her body tensed with the desire to push to her feet and grab the razor blade that her husband had taken from her.

She didn't just want the release that the moment of controlled pain gave her, she  _needed it_. When she caused the pain to herself, then she knew she was in control, because it was her choice, her decision. She was the one that made the wound that would eventually be a permanent scar.

She'd tried to find that same control in other parts of her life in the past, gone so far as to starve herself before, but when it came to chocolate she was weak-willed and had ultimately given up that part of her perfected control.

But the blade, the blood, the pain... even the scars, she could control it all. She needed to control it all. She needed to see the blood running down her arm and dripping onto the floor, needed to know she controlled her own fate – needed to know it was  _her_  choice, not Jasper's, not her father's, hers.

Still, she knew she couldn't make a lunge for that knife, because if she did her husband would call her doctor for sure – and she couldn't handle that. That would mean a minimum of seventy-two hours where someone else was in control.

She tightened her grip around her knees, digging her nails, which were filed flat, into her legs as she rocked back and forth. She needed to pull herself together – to get up and tell Jasper she was fine – but she couldn't make herself do it. Not even for her handsome stranger.


	8. Chapter 7 - Seductive Heights (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN/Warning: So, tad bit of a warning. This chapter does deal with drug use. That being said, I've never really done much in the way of recreational drugs, so my knowledge is almost purely theoretical or what I've been told in the past by some people that I know who have done drugs. Everyone experiences drugs differently though... So that being said, I'm not sure this chapter will do it justice.

**Chapter 7 – Seductive Heights (Edward)**

He was on a walk with the wild side, fate sliding backwards. He had been here before, this all-time high. It was great until it went wrong... and it always went wrong eventually. But why the hell did he care? He was going to hell, anyways.

It sounded like his sister wasn't all that far behind. Sometimes, in his more lucid moments, he had to wonder why she had been put through the same torture that he had. His little pixie sister hadn't deserved it. Of course, that was why he'd been grateful when she'd gotten out – the idea Bella had come up with had been supposed to get them both out, but he didn't blame anyone for the fact that he'd been forced to stay with his dad. At least his sister had been freed.

Edward's life was royally screwed. He looked at the remaining coke that sat on the metal tray. He had needed it today, even though the part of his mind that was still semi-sane screamed to him that he hadn't.

He had enough coke on the tray to snort another two lines if he wanted, but he was already in dangerous territory. He knew he was because he could actually hear the buzzing of the incandescent lamp above his head, could see the individual dots in the spectrum of color on his tv – that was currently turned off – and could smell the steaks cooking on the grill from the Lodge which was more than a mile away. In layman terms, he was already tripping bolts. He separated the coke into two uniform lines anyways, because honestly... he didn't care.

Still, as he leaned down to snort one of the two lines, he couldn't help but remember as Bella had pleaded with him to quit the drugs... more than just the coke, but the acid and phencyclidine too. She had literally gotten down on her knees and begged. He hadn't complied. Some part of him... some very small sane part of him that got harder to hear with the more drugs he did – knew that he loved Bella and didn't want to hurt her. But he couldn't stop.

He snorted the two lines without even taking a break between them. The rush was almost instantaneous, but it still wasn't enough for him, and he glanced at the little box on top of his fireplace with the five strips in contemplation. He didn't feel like getting up though, so he laid his head back against the pillow.


	9. Chapter 8 - Secrets and Placations (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 8 – Secrets and Placations (Seth)**

As he got home from college in Port Angeles, he felt Leah's eyes on him. They had lived in an apartment together ever since he had turned eighteen six months prior. He hadn't even waited until he graduated high school two months later to leave his sister's house. He'd been out as quickly as he could pack his bags.

That, of course, was the reason he'd had asked her to marry him, because they lived in the same apartment, not because he loved her. Their relationship was one of convenience, for both of them. For him, it hid his deepest secret, and Leah had agreed to marry him only to get her mother off her back. Leah and he both had relationships with other people in a consensual agreement that they'd made when they'd first got engaged. It was just  _easier_. He knew she loved his brother... actually, he wouldn't go that far – he knew she loved sex. They didn't hide their endeavors, or mostly she didn't hide hers, because he really didn't have any endeavors to tell her. He couldn't, even though he was certain she suspected.

The truth was that while Seth would never come out and say he didn't like women – after all, he had been with Leah on occasion, and he did find the occasional woman as being cute, including his sister-in-law... but the truth was that he was much more into something else. Unfortunately, to even think the word – to even  _suggest_ it in his head – made him shudder. He could only imagine what his late father would have thought about it if he was still alive... and his sisters, he could easily envision their reaction to such a shameful secret.

So he satisfied himself with wanks in private and an occasional half drunk romp with his fiancee. It was enough. It had to be. Because he knew he'd never let anyone know that he liked dicks.

Today Leah had  _that look,_  and he knew she had been with his brother, Jacob, and he had left her unsatisfied, again. Seth knew the broody bedroom eyes she had, knew she was feeling miserable, but he couldn't give her what she truly wanted.

He could perform on command, it was true... but it was something other than just physical release that she wanted – needed even – and he couldn't give her that. Sometimes, when he was drunk enough on the high octane firewater that the tribal elders made (the only thing he could get his hands on without asking his brother to buy for him, not that he hadn't done that in the past), he could almost fool his mind into thinking that he truly loved Leah and would tell her as much, but in the light of the next morning – with a screaming hangover – they both knew it was always a lie.

He stepped over to her, pulling her into his arms and hugged her tight before taking her hand and pulling her toward the bedroom because he could give her a cuddle. It was pretty much the only thing he could give her that meant a damn when he wasn't drunk.

He'd get up after she was asleep to study for his courses and fix himself some food.


	10. Chapter 9 - Justification (Emmett)

**Chapter 9 – Justification (Emmett)**

Emmett needed to call his little half brother, Jasper, later tonight and find out how he was doing, but not right now. Currently, Emmett was having some fun. Not his usual kind of fun either. No, he was out arresting teenagers. He couldn't believe he had actually blown yet another day without once fucking someone, but he had, and it was now night.

It had been almost three years since he had become chief of police in this small town. When Rosalie and Bella's father had died, he'd taken over as the chief of police. Now, three years in... he was sick of the teenagers' blatant disrespect towards him. At twenty-nine he had more nicknames than he cared to admit. The first and foremost being the joker. Everyone in the little town of Forks knew how he lived. Emmett rarely actually dated someone for more than a few days. And as a rule of his life, he never slept with the same person twice.

Of course, no one knew why he was like that – not even his big brother Garrett, or his little brother Jasper. And of course, his mother knew nothing about his life. When his mom, Victoria, had caught him saying goodbye to one girl one night and another the next night she'd slapped him and had screamed that he was just like his father. He'd been sixteen at the time. The next day he'd moved in with his older brother, Garrett. He hadn't spoken to his mom since that day, which wasn't exactly an easy feat given the size of the town.

But the most important thing that no one knew was the fact that he did love someone, but she thought of Emmett just as the rest of the town did, as a joker, a man incapable of loving anyone. The thing was that he had loved her since the first time he saw her, back on the first day of his Junior year in high school. Rosalie was two years younger than him, but he had always known she was the only one for him. In spite of the fact that he'd dated a few girls before he'd seen Rosalie, he hadn't really started refusing to settle with anyone until after she'd laughed in his face when he'd asked her out to prom that year. That had been when he'd started to gain his reputation.

He had done it on purpose though, because of the fact he couldn't have her. He had found comfort in sexual relief, but never with the same woman... or man... or couple or group – twice. Then, about three months ago, he had finally gotten to go on a date with her – and then sleep with her, but that actually hadn't been what he had enjoyed the most – she had been everything that he had desired, everything that he had dreamed of, and more. From her drive for a future to her laugh to the way she smiled and flirted... she was perfect. Yet he already knew she would never go out with him again. She had made it clear that it was a one time deal from the start.

And he hadn't been able to get her out of his head since. He'd gone from sleeping with someone new every night, to not even talking to anyone other than his family and the three deputies under him. He couldn't even have a proper date with his hand anymore... unless he was imagining it was her.

So tonight, much like the last eighty-seven nights, he was arresting people who thought he was a push-over and were trying to get away with everything. More often then not, they were kids.

Speaking of kids…

He pulled to a stop at the back of the local convenience store where two kids had decided to spraypaint the back wall. He turned the brights on before he got out. "Halt, drop the spray cans, and put your hands behind your back."

They did it almost instantly. Emmett walked over, cuffed the one, and then proceeded to handcuff the next. He grabbed each of the boys by the arm and marched them to the back of the police cruiser.

"Get in," he said roughly.

They did as he said but both of them had shocked looks on their faces. Yes, it was true. Emmett, the joker, had just arrested them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick end note to this chapter. So these first nine chapters featured one of each of the main characters, but going forward it will likely be less precise. Sometimes it may go Rosalie, Seth and back to Rosalie. The only thing that most likely won't happen is two chapters back to back for the same character.


	11. Chapter 10 - Forgiveness (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 10 – Forgiveness (Bella)**

_**July 26th, 2011** _

Bella woke up at about eight in the morning alone. She wasn't surprised as she was actually relatively certain that Jake had been supposed to go back to work at Dowling's Auto Repair yesterday.

After they'd kissed in the kitchen the afternoon before, they'd started to move things to the bedroom – until she'd seen the crumpled bed sheets and remembered what he'd been doing with Leah. After that, she'd made him change the sheets before they'd gone to sleep, side-by-side. She'd forgiven him for his indiscretion – she silently admitted to herself that it really hadn't been infidelity in a long time – but that was as far as the night had gone.

Three years ago, when the cheating had first started, she'd almost divorced him. She'd actually filed for it, but then her dad had died – been killed in the line of duty. When she'd gotten that call, she'd completely lost it. And Jacob had been the one that had picked her up and held her as she'd wept, the one that had understood her paid and stayed by her through it all. So she'd stayed.

It hadn't been easy to forgive his infidelity originally, but she had done it. Part of why she'd stayed was because he  _was_  there for her, and part of it was that she wasn't a quitter. There were other reasons too, but those were the biggest two.

After she'd started spending time with her best friend, Edward, it had gotten easier to forgive Jacob for his choices.

She closed her eyes, trying to rid herself of her thoughts, but then her cell phone rang from her purse in the dining room. She thought about going to check on it but decided against it. She really didn't want to get up, even if she was supposed to head to work at Newton's Sporting Goods in a little over an hour.

A minute later, after her phone had stopped ringing, the house phone rang.

She groaned, but reached over to the bedside table and picked it up. "Yes?"

"Hello, this is Carmen Domingo. I'm a nurse at Forks Community Hospital. Is this Isabella Marie Black?"

"Yes, this is her speaking," Bella said in a strained voice, stiffening slightly. It was never anything good when they called.

"I'm calling because you are listed as Edward Anthony Cullen's emergency contact. He was admitted into the hospital early this morning and is currently in critical condition."

"I'll be there shortly," Bella choked out, her voice suddenly thick with fear. She hung up the line and quickly got up. What had Edward done to himself this time?


	12. Chapter 11 - Argumentative (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 11 – Argumentative (Jasper)**

"No," Alice said stubbornly, crossing her arms over her chest stubbornly.

Jasper took a slow calming breath as he tried to remind himself exactly why he married his Little Miss. She had to be the most stubborn woman on the planet when it came to avoiding her problems. "Alice, I let it slide last night so you could compose yourself, but you can't just ignore the fact that you wanted to harm yourself. And all because I –"

"Do  _not_  finish that sentence," she hissed, her eyes alight with anger. "It was my idea, and I overestimated my control, but I'm fine. It doesn't do me any good to cry over spilt milk, so to speak, after the fact."

"Alice..."

"Please, Jas." She looked up at him from under her lashes, pouting out her lower lip ever so slightly.

The whole effect was ruined by her arms stubbornly over her chest, but he couldn't ignore her plea. He groaned, knowing he'd lost the argument.

Just then his phone beeped telling him that he received a text, which was just weird. Everyone knew he hated text messages. He pulled his phone out and read the message.

 _Tell Alice to come to the hospital here in Forks. Her brother's in a bad way._ It was from Bella. He blinked. Why hadn't she texted Alice herself...

"Did you lose your phone?" He left out the silent  _again_  that he was sure Alice could hear. It was a bad habit of hers, and he usually didn't find out until he was sent a text or had to intercede a call meant for her.

"Maaaybe," she said guiltily. "I think it ended up in the dish washer by accident."

He shook his head, slightly indulgently, before frowning. "Bella sent a text for you. She said your brother is in the the hospital."

"WHAT!" Alice screeched.

Jasper winced, glancing at the bedroom window to make sure she hadn't just broken the glass.

She was by his side and pulling the cell phone out of his hands by the time he glanced at her. She read the message before typing a quick reply, her fingers moving a mile a minute.

She glared at the phone, as if willing for a reply to come. A minute later the phone beeped and she read the message before the phone slipped out of her hand and fell to the floor.

Her right hand went to her mouth as she mouthed, "oh no."

He bent down and picked up his phone, reading Bella's reply to Alice's text.

_I don't know, Ali, but it doesn't look good. Docs want to do an MRI, if not this afternoon, then tomorrow._

Alice dashed out our bedroom door.


	13. Chapter 12 - Possible Plans (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 12 – Possible Plans (Rosalie)**

She rubbed her sister's shoulders, trying desperately to calm her down. Rosalie had arrived at the hospital as soon as she could after Bella had called.

Edward had overdosed again, which wasn't exactly a new thing, but it was worse this time. He was comatose, and despite the fact that Bella was listed as Edward's next of kin on his paperwork, the doctors were being deliberately vague. They'd asked her to sign the consent form to do an MRI with no real explanation as to why, but my sister had broken down.

Rosalie couldn't blame Bella for the way she had reacted. Bella had been Edward's legal medical power of attorney for the last two years. She was the person the doctor's went to if Edward was physically unable to agree to medical care – a necessity because of Edward's continual poor choices. It was also a necessity because Alice flat out couldn't make those kind of choices for Edward... And no one was willing to involve their scumbag father.

At the end of the day though, it meant that if an MRI found Edward to be brain dead it would be Bella who would have to sign the consent form to turn his oxygen off.

"It's going to be alright. You'll see, little sis," Rosalie murmured.

"No, it's not," Bella whispered, her voice filled with pain. "If I agree to this MRI and then it turns out he's... How can I do that to him? How can I do that to Alice? How do I make myself be responsible for that kind of choice? I just don't know what to do. He's my best friend and I love him, Rosalie."

"Hey, don't think like that. He's going to be fine, you'll see. He'll wake up, and we'll figure it out. Maybe it's time we use the money we got from our dad's estate and put Edward in to rehab. We can put him in that place we talked about putting Renee."

Their dear mother, Renee, had been a drunkard. There was really no other way to put it. When Rosalie had been a little over two, Renee had run off, only a few weeks pregnant with Bella at the time.

Ten years later, Bella had been taken from Renee by social services who had deemed Renee as being completely unfit to raise a child. Bella was delivered to their father after Renee had apparently told social services who Bella's father was. At least that was what Rosalie had garnered – as it was the only logical explanation to it. After all, Charlie had no idea that Bella had even existed until that point.

Six years after that, Renee came home. She begged Charlie to take her back but the whiskey was still obvious on her breath. Charlie had refused, not because he hadn't still loved Renee – he had – but he'd felt that having someone like her in their house would be an unhealthy environment for Rosalie and Bella.

Charlie talked about getting Renee help and putting her in a rehabilitation center, but it would have taken his retirement savings to have put her in a place like that. Rosalie was eighteen by that point and she had refused to allow their dad to destroy his future just so he could try and save the woman that ran out on them all those years ago.

A mere six months later, Renee had been found in an alley in Port Angeles covered in her own vomit, her body already cold. The coroner had stated she'd died of Alcohol poisoning.

Rosalie hadn't cried at Renee's funeral a couple of weeks after that, but Bella had.

"We can't do that, Rose. It wouldn't be fair to you. The money's supposed to be for both of us, not just me."

"Money's just a material thing. Edward is a living breathing human. Besides, it's not as if I need that money. I have more than enough as it is with what I'm making on my clothing line."

Bella didn't reply, just turned around and rested her head against Rosalie's shoulder.


	14. Chapter 13 - A Different Nut (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 13 – A Different Nut (Leah)**

She sat beside her mother on the beach who was playing with her youngest daughter, Leah's half sister. Claire was the daughter of Sue and Charlie, born mere weeks after Charlie had died. Leah's mother was a three-time widower. Her own father, Harry, had died of a heart attack when she was only a baby at the mere age of twenty-five.

Seven years after Leah was born, Sue had moved in with Billy and his four children, and while they never officially married, they were together for four years. The twins, Rachel and Rebecca had been sixteen at the time, Jacob ten, and Seth was six, a year younger than me. A year and half later Sue gave birth to Embry, and a year after that, Quil.

Billy died when Leah was eleven after falling overboard on one of his many fishing trips and drowning. Rachel dropped out of college to come back and raise Jacob and Seth. She irrationally blamed Sue for Billy's death. The state of Washington didn't believe in common law marriages, so rather than cause strife Sue, Embry, Quil and Leah moved out.

When Leah was fifteen, Sue married Charlie, and a few months later Sue got pregnant with Claire. She was about eight months pregnant when Charlie had to play the hero and got between the convenience store clerk, Angela, and a robber with a gun.

Charlie was shot six times at point blank range. He was dead before he hit the ground. It had saved Angela's life though.

Charlie hadn't added Sue or any of her kids to his will before he died, and as such, everything went to Rosalie and Bella. Sue, Embry, Quil and Leah moved back to La Push after his death. Then Leah moved out into an apartment as soon as she had turned eighteen, and once Seth turned 18, he'd moved in with her.

As it turned out, returning to La Push had probably been for the best. Claire got the chance to grow up on the reservation, learn Quileute, and be a part of the tribe. It was what she deserved, besides, she was happy here, playing in the water and having fun with the sand.

Leah picked Claire up, laughing as she brushed her tiny sand-ridden hands through her hair. Then she pointed to a shell on the ground. "Squid," she shouted.

Leah shook her head. "No, that's a shell."

They'd told Claire this before at least a thousand times, but she insisted on calling the shells that littered the sand squids.

She looked at Leah and her lip pouted out adorably. "No, squid." Her foot kicked in to Leah's shin, trying to stomp, but unable to due to how she was holding her in her lap.

"Ow," Leah said loudly, wincing at the pain, for not even being three yet, Claire had a lot of force in her kick.

Claire found Leah's expression amusing and kicked her again, this time deliberately. She winced again.

"None of that," Leah said sternly and sat Claire down on the ground.

Claire just laughed and then turned and ran into the water. Leah turned towards her mother. "So, she starts preschool next year. Are you ready for that?"

Sue just sort of looked at her oldest daughter in a way that said she should know better than to ask stupid questions. "She's my fourth child, it's not like when it was you, and I was tempted to keep you at home until kindergarten or first grade just because I wasn't ready to let you go. But look at you now, all grown up and to be married in a couple more months. Seth's a fine young man and will do you well. You have given up those ridiculous escapades with his brother, right?"

"Mother!" Leah groaned, annoyed.

"I'll take that as a no. You can't have the best of two worlds. It's time you grow up and settle down. Have a few children with Seth and learn to be a good woman to a husband who will love you and care for you. That's something that Jacob will never give you, he's proven to you again and again that he's dedicated to Bella."

"Mother, what I do with my life is my own business."

"Not when it's plastered all over Forks and La Push. You need to straighten up, Leah. Do you know how embarrassing it is going in to the local grocery store and hear the gossip  _about you_. Not to mention the sex tape that made it online of you and that couple. There are certain things a mother never wants to see of her daughter. And that's one of them."

Leah groaned. She was never going to live that one down. It had bee a little more than a year ago, and she had gone to her friend's bachelorette party. Kim was marrying Jared, she had invited her cousin who lived in Port Angeles to the party. Gianna got wasted that night and so had Leah. Gianna had called her husband to come get her and somehow she had ended up going with them.

Leah didn't remember much of that night, and she certainly hadn't realized they were taping it... but for all that, she didn't regret that night. It had been fun.

"It was one time mother, and I was drunk."

"And what were you doing getting drunk, I don't care if it was Kim's bachelorette party. You were too young to be drinking... You still are, for that matter."

"MOTHER!"

Sue continued her tirade, ignoring her eldest daughter. "And of course there was that time with Lizzie in Forks, in the park no less. What the hell were you thinking, Leah?"

She'd been thinking Lizzie looked hot, but her mother didn't need to know that. Leah just shook her head.

"And then there's the Joker..."

Leah raised her hands in surrender. "Hey, don't blame that on me. He's hard to resist mom, you should know."

The fact that both her mother and herself had slept with the same man was less than a pleasant thought. She hadn't realized that her mother and Emmett had been together until after she had had her escapades with him about five months ago. When she had told her mom that her had gone on a date with him, Sue had looked like she had wanted to vomit... The truth had come out shortly after that.

"I'm a grown woman and if I want to be with a younger man, I certainly can," Sue said, her voice defensive.

"He's almost half your age, mom." Leah's voice was sharp.

"As I stated, I'm well within my rights."

"Well I certainly am within my rights to sleep with whoever the hell I want, as I to, am a grown woman," Leah said before she got up and stormed off, not wanting to discuss it any longer.


	15. Chapter 14 - Studies (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 14 – Studies (Seth)**

Six hours of school at Peninsula College and four hours working as a Barista at the school coffee shop in Port Angeles made up Seth's average day. He was up before five every morning to get to school by seven. The he had a schedule of classes until one in the afternoon and worked from two to six after that. He was lucky when he got home by eight at night.

Once he was home it was time to study and do his homework, which was what he was doing now as he carefully sketched out the orange he'd placed on the table and started to make the proper shading beneath it based on what he was seeing on the table. It wasn't the proper way to do the project as it was supposed to be done based on sunlight and not a lamp, but there was no way he could ever do it during the day.

Leah wasn't home, which didn't shock him. Their schedules often seemed to conflict with each other. He knew she had a job waitressing at the Lodge in Forks, which was one reason they were almost never at home at the same time, but she was also at the beck and call of his brother.

Somewhere in the back of his mind he knew that should bug him – on a morality level if nothing else. But he was actually grateful that his brother seemed to care about her, messed up as that sounded... he just wasn't into Leah the way she deserved. But his brother was.

Seth worked at the coffee shop six days of the week, and everyday at four Professor Garrett Whitlock came in for his afternoon coffee. Garrett was thirty-six making him twice Seth's age of eighteen, and yet Seth loved to watch the man. Garrett had grown up and lived in Forks – Seth remembered – but had moved to Port Angeles after getting the job in the Arts Department teaching classes with clay.

For Seth, it meant that – even if he could ever admit aloud that he was attracted to men – he wasn't able to touch Garrett. He wasn't in the program for clay, preferring drawing and painting... but it was still the same department. So he served the professor his large double mocha latte with an extra shot of espresso and two almond biscottis every single day and otherwise kept his mouth shut as he tried to keep his head down so he didn't get caught staring.

Seth double checked the shadows on the table compared to what he'd drawn and cursed under his breath. He tore the paper in half and pulled out another sheet of sketch paper to start again.


	16. Chapter 15 - The Waiting Game (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 15 – The Waiting Game (Alice)**

_**June 27th, 2011** _

Alice paced the floor of the hospital waiting room. Jasper, her  _handsome stranger_ , had made a move to get up and come over to her several times already, but she'd glared at him until he'd settled back into his chair each time. She didn't  _need_  to be babied.

All she needed was the doctor to make an appearance already and tell them that her brother was going to be fine – and he  _was_  going to be fine, she wasn't about to accept any other answer.

She looked back toward the wall of seats where Bella and Rosalie huddled together on one of the benches and Jasper was sitting in the corner a few chairs down. Rosalie had her head leaned against the wall with her eyes closed, and it might have just been Alice's imagination, but she thought she had a more pallid complexion than normal.

The door to the waiting room opened and Alice jerked to look at who it was before slumping in disappointment upon seeing Emmett enter.

He came over to her and picked her up as he hugged her.

"Put my wife down," Jasper grumbled from where he was sitting, but there was no heat in his voice.

She knew her husband was always secretly pleased that his brothers liked her so much, and perhaps more important than that, that she let them.

"I can hug my sister if I want to," Emmett said as he put her down.

"In-law," Alice muttered.

She had learned early on after marrying Jasper that both of his older half-brothers had no sense of personal space. Garrett and Emmett both loved to give suffocating hugs. In spite of her own inner demons, she actually enjoyed them.

"How are you doing, short stuff?"

"Been better."

"I can imagine. Just hang in there." Emmett looked around the waiting room, and Alice noticed when he seemed to almost hunch is on himself upon spotting Rosalie. Then he turned back to her. "I hate to bring it up because I know it's a sore subject, but technically he has a legal right to know and be here, so has anyone called your father yet?"

For a few seconds his words didn't fully sink in but then they did and she flinched before fleeing from the waiting room as quickly as she was able.


	17. Chapter 16 - The Extra Y (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: For the record, whenever I'm referring to Edward Sr, I will call him Edward Sr. So if it just says Edward, then it mean's Alice's brother.

**Chapter 16 – The Extra Y (Emmett)**

His little half-brother followed Alice almost immediately, leaving him alone with Bella and Rosalie.

He turned toward them to find Bella glowering at him.

"Can you ever not insert your foot in your mouth?"

"Do you think he won't find out? Bella, he's the House Representative for this district. It's better if he's called and told then finding out after the fact." Emmett crossed his arms over his check.

"If it looks like Edward isn't going to make it out of this then I will call him, but we don't know if that's the case yet. I see  _no point_  in bringing that asshole into this. I don't care that he's the sole reason you've gotten a raise this year and the last... that man – if you can even call him a man – destroyed both of their lives, Emmett."

"Allegedly, Bella. You cannot just go around randomly spouting off accusations of a civil servant like him with that kind of stuff when there is no proof." He hated defending the man, but he wanted to arrest one of his little brother's cousins for liable even less – and that was exactly the kind of comment that would get her a one way ticket there if someone other than him did hear it.

"There was  _plenty_  of proof when it was happening and you know it."

"As I recall, the only thing that was ever proven was that Alice's brother was unstable and abusive towards his sister after punched her and gave her a black eye. It was because of that that Edward Sr agreed to put her in another house while he got his son treatment."

Emmett had spent hours looking over the information Bella's father had kept in a file at the police department back when he'd first become the chief of police. The truth was Edward Sr had covered all his bases. All the physical scarring on both Alice and Edward had supposedly been done by Edward. Officially, Edward was diagnosed with Klinfelter's Syndrome and the only reason Alice had been removed the house was because Edward had supposedly been a troubled kid and a danger to her. It was true, Edward Sr could have removed Edward instead and had him put in psychiatric facility but he'd been  _a good father_  and wanted to keep his son so he could purportedly help him get better. Emmett's hands, much as Charlie's had been before him, were very much tied.

Bella looked down, crossing her arms over her chest.

Emmett shook his head and looked away. It was why he didn't notice Bella start to cry and it was why he didn't notice when Rosalie got up. She was just suddenly right in front of him.

She reached up and grabbed his right ear, yanking on it hard enough to pull his head down.

"Apologize to my sister for making her cry. Now." She snarled the words, her eyes completely livid.

He wanted to turn his head to verify what she was saying, but her grip on his ear made it impossible to check. "Err, I'm sorry."

She let go of him and stepped away. "I can't believe I'm actually pregnant with such an idiot's child." The word were a mutter, but he still heard them.

He reached out and grabbed her arm. He opened his mouth to get her to clarify what she'd just said.

"What did you just say?" It wasn't his voice that asked it though, it was Bella's.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick notice, I probably won't be posting for about three days. Unfortunately real life is going to keep me too busy for posting.


	18. Chapter 17 - Bandages (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 17 – Bandages (Jasper)**

He'd seen the writing on the metaphorical wall that his wife was one wrong twitch from breaking well before his half-brother had opened his big mouth. Jasper was going to kill Emmett for it, later... but first he needed to get his wife out of the bathroom she'd fled into.

He banged his fist against the door for the third time – the nurse at the station down the hall gave him a dirty eye. He knew that if he kept on making loud noise she might call security. Unfortunately, he didn't really care.

"Alice, open the bathroom door. Now."

There was no response and he narrowed his eyes before turning to look at the nurse it speculation. Then he headed over to her.

"Ma'am, do you happen to have a key to that bathroom door?" He pored on the fake southern charm and accent that he'd been able to pull off from the time he was a young kid – ironic actually, since nearest he'd been able to tell, none of his ancestors were from the south.

She didn't seem to be charmed. "Why?"

He kept the accent though in hopes. "My wife is in there and has a history of harming herself when stressed, which right now she's very stressed because her brother is in a coma."

"I can call for a medical professional to come and see if they will check on her if you are concerned about her safety."

Jasper clenched his fist as he wondered just how much trouble he'd get for knocking a nurse out and stealing her keys. Could he claim temporary insanity if he did it?

The bathroom door opened before he could decide to follow through.

"Never mind," he said, dropping the accent altogether.

He marched over to Alice.

"I'm fine," she said before he could ask.

Jasper had been dealing with Alice's choices though ever since he married her so if someone was to call him a skeptic they wouldn't be far off, which was why he pushed her out of the view of the nurse's station and grabbed her left hand, yanking her sleeve down once he pulled her hand up.

The giant six inch long band-aid hadn't been on her arm when they'd arrived at the hospital last night.

" _Really?"_ He didn't raise his voice to his Little Miss, but he was sorely tempted to.

" _I needed it_. And I'm fine!" she hissed back, pulling her hand out of his grasp and yanking the sleeve back into place. Then she marched around him with her head in the air.

He quickly caught up to her as she made her down the hall back to the waiting room.


	19. Chapter 18 - Donor (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 18 – Donor (Rosalie)**

Rosalie wanted to clap both of her hands over her mouth. As far as she was concerned she possibly be far enough along to blame her hormones, but... hello hormones, please insert foot.

She wished it had been the joker who'd asked her to clarify, because then she could just ignore him, but she'd apparently been loud enough for her little sister to hear her from halfway across the room.

She turned toward Bella, not even looking at Emmett.

"I'm pregnant. About three months along. The idiot beside me happens to be the sperm donor." Rosalie crossed her arms over chest and silently dared him to comment on her word choice.

"I thought you didn't want to be pregnant yet. That your business wasn't stable enough for anything like a serious relationship, marriage, children.." Bella's brow furrowed in confusion.

Rosalie sighed. "Okay... unwitting and accidental sperm donor is more accurate."

"Hey! I used a condom!" Emmett exclaimed, sounding hurt.

Bella looked at him, arching an eyebrow.

She slapped a hand over her eyes before dragging it down her face slowly as she shook her head. She hadn't even said she'd slept with him and that was all he could come up with?

"Condoms aren't a one hundred percent guarantee, Emmett." Bella pointed out.

"I am well aware of that." His voice took on a slightly accusatory note as he continued, "But most women are on some sort of contraceptive that prevents the risk of that small percentile happening."

"Not when said woman is too busy with meetings, payroll, design, etc to make it to the doctor when she's supposed to," Rosalie snapped. She used patches because they were easier for her to remember than other things, but the prescription needed to be refilled more often than other options she could have chosen and she'd been busy three months ago with her Summer Line just as she was now busy with the Fall Line. And she was aware that being pregnant was her own fault, but she didn't want to hear it. She didn't have sex all that often – at least not with anyone other than her vibrator – and as he'd said... he had used a condom.

"And just when you were you planning on telling me that you were pregnant with my child?" Emmett asked.

She could feel his eyes on the side of her face, but she refused to look at him.

"I wasn't."

She stormed over to the waiting room door and headed out of it.


	20. Chapter 19 - Tastes May Vary (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 19 – Tastes May Vary (Leah)**

_**July 28th, 2011** _

Leah woke up alone, the sheets beside her already cool. It was only about five in the morning but Seth was already long gone. She wasn't surprised, he took his schooling far too seriously. Personally, she was more of the type to stretch her legs and be free... which begged the question of what she'd been thinking when she'd agreed to babysit her cousin's kids for the day.

Just then the doorbell rang.

Leah grimaced but rolled out of bed and quickly pulled on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless t-shirt before heading out to the living room and going to answer the door.

Alec and Jane squeezed past her legs and raced into her house the instant she opened the door, running over and jumping up and down on the couch almost immediately. Leah groaned. It was far too early for that kind of hyper.

"What did you do, feed them espresso when you got them up?" she asked Emily.

Emily snorted. "Of course not. That's all natural." She nodded her head at her kids before handing over a large bag. "Their favorite toys are in there as well as an extra set of clothes for each just in case. Have fun."

"Okay, yeah," Leah said, grunting as she took the bag, looking down at it in shock from the weight. What had her cousin put in the bag? Thirty pound text books? By the time she glanced up to look at her cousin, Emily was already back in her car and starting it up.

" _Chicken_ ," Leah muttered under her breath as she shut the door. She couldn't really blame Emily for the quick getaway though. The twins were a handful and getting anyone to agree to babysit them was just about impossible. Listening to Emily complain about that fact for two hours – along with the three hundred dollars Sam had agreed to pay her – was the main reason she'd finally agreed to this insanity.

As Leah rested her head against the front door Alec suddenly yanked on the bottom of her shirt. "Lee-la, who is this?"

Lee-la was what the twins had called her ever since they'd first started talking. She looked down to find Alec holding an extremely wrinkled thick piece of paper. It looked like one of Seth's pieces of sketch paper – most likely one that had been balled up and thrown in the cash. She took the paper from Alec.

On it was a relatively good sketch of a man she recognized. The man had long hair, dark eyes, full cheek bones, a high brow, and about a three-day 'stache. The man was Emmett's older brother – she couldn't remember his name – and she wasn't exactly sure how to explain who it was to her young nephew.

"Seth drew this picture," she finally said after staring at it for another few seconds. "He's taking art at the college in Port Angeles. I'm relatively sure that this man teaches in that department."

"Okaaay, but who is he?" Alec asked again.

Leah sighed. "Do you know how your sister likes strawberry ice cream and you like chocolate swirl?"

She looked down at Alec who looked a little confused for a moment before finally nodding his head.

"Well let's just say Seth likes rocky roads, and that's  _exactly_  what this is."

Leah folded the picture into fourths and walked into the kitchen, placing the folded picture in a drawer.

She looked at the twins. "Now, who wants fruit loops?"


	21. Chapter 20 - Pallid Decision (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 20 – Pallid Decision (Bella)**

According to the doctor that had ran the MRI yesterday, Edward's mind was functioning properly. It was good news because it meant there was a more reasonable possibility that he would wake up than otherwise, but Bella hadn't been able to relax since she'd been allowed into his room late the night before.

She still hadn't called his father and as he wasn't brain dead she wasn't going to. Maybe the asshole did deserve to know that his son was in the hospital but Bella couldn't bring herself to care.

Bella had watched Edward all night and hadn't slept since she'd arrived at the hospital two days prior and she assumed it was the lack of sleep that was stressing her to the point of her nausea and vomiting. After all, she knew she wasn't pregnant – her doctor had confirmed that only three days prior.

Still, as she watched over Edward's – too pale – figure she knew that when he got better she'd have to say goodbye to Jake. It was a terrifying thought, because the reality was – with the exception of the money left from her father's will – she would have nothing. The house and the checking account were in Jake's name, even her old beat up pickup truck was technically his. She knew that without anything she'd likely end up on the streets again.

Renee hadn't been able to provide very often and Bella had spent probably half of her first nine years of life on the streets. By the time Bella had been old enough to remember, her mom had already gotten off the drugs and mostly only drank alcohol, but it was still an expensive habit, and they often didn't have enough money for basic necessities – food, shelter, even clothing. Still... Bella had always loved her mother, in spite of her numerous faults.

But now, as she thought about walking away from her husband, she didn't know if she could handle living that kind of life again.

Her stomach grumbled ominously and she quickly got up to make a hasty retreat to the nearest bathroom.


	22. Chapter 21 - Forestry (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 21 – Forestry (Jacob)**

"How big is this property again?" He asked the realtor as he looked over the wooded property.

"It's a total of five acres of property, but the area that can be used to build on is only about half that. County laws state you have to keep a certain amount as the natural forest because it's considered 'open space.' You'll always be able to petition the courts later to expand out the usable land. Even so, it should be big enough for what you told me you were looking for."

The area was completely wooded and it would require a lot of tree cutting before he could even consider starting to build... but he was fed up with his boss, John Dowling. He was one of only three other mechanics that worked at the shop – excluding John himself – and he was the only one that wasn't white. Native Americans made up a decent portion of the local population of Clallam County and he was the best mechanic John had, but for all that he was still treated like the scum under John's boots. Normally he didn't let the jeered comments of pass such and such job to the redskin get to him, but after having done four break jobs and two carburetor rebuilds before lunch while two of the other mechanics had spent the entire morning scratching their asses, he was just done.

It was what had prompted him to tell his boss he was taking the afternoon off. He knew John wouldn't fire him, he was too good at his job.

Then he called the agent he'd been speaking with online for the last few weeks to show him the properties she had available. The one he was looking at now was relatively cheap but that was because it was unconditioned land, and the reality was the cost for the property, a five figure sum, was only the start of the costs. After demolishing the trees; electricity, water and gas would all have to be run in. Then there would be construction, paving, and more. It wouldn't be something that would be built over night, but it could be something that was started here and now.

It was his dream as much as it was Bella's. They both wanted to own their own businesses, him a mechanics shop, and her a restaurant and bakery. They'd discussed the idea long before they'd gotten married and it had been their initial plan to use the money he'd gotten from when his dad had died to help buy a piece of property to do just that, but when they'd gotten back from their honeymoon the apartment he'd been staying in had been in a fire, so they'd had to use that money for a down payment on a house instead.

By the time he'd applied for a loan and gotten it approved to buy the property they'd wanted, Bella had been pregnant for her first time and so they'd pushed their plans to the sidelines. In fact, every time they'd tried to start this, something had caused them to delay it – be it his old Volkswagen Rabbit breaking down and him needing money to get a new vehicle, their son being born and then dying a few days later, or Bella's old pick up needing a new engine because Jake hadn't been able to convince her to get a new vehicle – there was always something.

And of course, there was the other problem – the fact that everything had to be done in his name if it came to anything regarding a financial institution. It was something that had always bugged him, and to some extent bugged Bella too – but not enough that she was capable of changing it. The last time he'd gotten her to go into the bank was when she'd put in the signature card for the savings account that had the money her dad had left her, and even then she'd refused to leave their house for a week after doing that.

She was even only listed as a dependent on his bank account because he'd been able to put her on in that form without her physically coming in and signing anything, but he hadn't been able to make it a joint account as she'd flat out refused to go to the bank to do it.

Jacob knew that a lot of her issues with banks stemmed from before she'd first moved to Forks, and though he didn't know the full details, it was easy to guess – things like foreclosures of houses and vehicles or even bank accounts getting closed out for lack of funds. Bella's fear of the banking world was what had taught him a lot about things like managing a check book as the only things she would pay were things she could do in cash – the small bills like gas, electric, phone, and internet – she wouldn't even use the debit card he'd given her.

He looked back at the realtor. "And this place is zoned to be able to be commercial."

"Yes, it's out of the city limits so it's actually only county that you'd have to deal with on the commercial side and as long as you weren't planning to make something like a strip club or a bar then it would be completely fine, and I know that isn't what you're planning, but even with those... with the right petition you'd be able to do it."

He looked back towards the forest property, completely unsure if he should even be contemplating what he was... but he couldn't continue working for Dowling forever because if he did he was going to shove a wrench up his boss's ass at some point.

He sighed, somewhere between resignation, determination and excitement.

"Can I make an offer?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A couple of quick notes. First and foremost, what I'm referring to that Bella has is called bancophobia and it is the fear of financial institutions. It is a real fear that really does plague people. Hers is because of an onset from experiences in her childhood that taught her banks were evil, which her logical adult brain does know isn't true or logical, but fear rarely is logical.
> 
> Also, because chapters are so short, some pieces of info may not be made available in the story that you want until later chapters when the info before important to know, but a lot of those facts may be posted earlier on my blog, anewrebirth dot blogspot dot com. Info like who works where, vehicles, houses, their different issues, etc.. may all be posted at some point. There is already a basic character list on my blog and some other info will be posted this evening.


	23. Chapter 22 - Unexpected Demand (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 22 – Unexpected Demand (Rosalie)**

Rosalie had wanted to stay with her little sister at the hospital, but she had responsibilities and a career that couldn't take several days off just because she wanted to help her family – one of the only she hated about her career was it  _always_ came first.

After she got home, she called the head of her models to make sure the fashion show was set to run in two weeks in New York, then she checked with her personal assistant via Skype on her computer to verify that her flight ticket had already been booked and to verify if there was anything else she needed to do before she got to work answering her emails and finishing reading over the proposed contract with Bloomingdale's – she'd been told before that she should have a financial executive doing her contracts for her, but she was far too much of a perfectionist to hand such an important piece off to someone else.

Her personal assistant reminded her that they were stilling waiting on the designs for next year's spring line in production. Rosalie cursed under her breath but promised her assistant she'd get right on it.

It was all part of the fashion industry. Her fall line would be being shown off in only a couple of weeks while models were being picked out and final alterations were made for the upcoming winter line, and at the same time next year's spring line would start to be made in production while she was sketching out the summer line. It was hard to believe for most people, but that was just how the fashion industry worked. Designers had to plan ahead, producers had to make designs ahead of time, fashion shows had to be cutting edge and so on. It was a never ending process.

After she got off with her assistant, she opened her computer program up to the scanned designs for the spring line she'd put together to make sure they were all there and could be sent to her producer to be made into reality, but her doorbell suddenly rang.

"Who the fuck is here?" she growled, half hoping her computer would answer, but it didn't of course.

She got up and stormed out of her office, heading to the front door to answer. She wrenched the door open immediately and instantly regretted not checking the peep hole first, because standing on her front step was Emmett. He wasn't in uniform, so that meant she could slam the door in his face, and she considered it but ultimately decided against it.

"What do you want?"

"I want to talk about the bombshell you dropped on me yesterday." Emmett narrowed his eyes at her.

"It doesn't concern you, it's my body, my pregnancy, and my child." She knew that wasn't completely correct, but she was far too stubborn to admit that and just wanted him to go away.

"And what are you planning to do with  _our_  child?" Emmett asked.

She hated him for using that word, hated his ego and arrogance, hated the fact that she'd actually had fun on their one and only date three months ago, and hated herself for being susceptible to such a man's charms. She didn't have time for love, even if it was a normal guy – which mister 'another person every night' definitely wasn't normal.

"I planned to let my sister adopt the child." She crossed her arms over her chest defiantly.

"And what if I want to take custody of our child if you don't want him or her!"

Rosalie couldn't help herself, she laughed, stepping back from the door because the thought of  _the joker_  raising a child was just funny. "You? Raise a kid? You're kidding, right?"

Emmett used the opening Rosalie had unwittingly given him when she'd stepped back and came inside before he shut the door. "Why not? I make enough to take care of a child. And at least then I'd have –" he cut himself off suddenly, his mouth snapping shut.

She frowned at him. "Emmett, you're still a child yourself, going out almost nightly and sleeping with whatever moves. A child needs a stable environment, not some womanizer who can't take anything seriously. Plus, I've seen your house, there's no room for a child." As in literally no bedroom as Emmett's house was set up as an open plan loft. There were only two 'rooms' outside of the main space. One was a bedroom and one was a bathroom, but neither had a door that actually shut.

"You have no idea what you're talking about," he said, his voice rising from his anger.

Rosalie arched an eyebrow at him. He was seriously going to raise his voice to her in  _her house_? "Everyone in town knows exactly what I'm talking about, Emmett. Your sexcapades are hardly a secret. Do you even know how to think with anything other than that thing in your pants?"

"Do you honestly think that if all I thought about was sex that I would have spent hours just talking with you on our date! There are far easier lays."

"I was a challenge!" Her own voice was raising as she let her temper get the best of her.

"BULLSHIT!" he shouted.

She saw red. "Why you... you..."

"If that's all you were then why haven't I been with anyone since our one night together?"

All the steam went out of her. "What?" She was pretty sure there was no voice behind the word she mouthed.


	24. Chapter 23 - Mocha Latte (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 23 – Mocha Latte (Seth)**

Today was busy with people ordering frappuccinos, cappuccinos, smoothies, cortados and more. Of all the drinks he made as a barista the cortado was one of the worst for him to make. Oh it was relatively simple to make on the outer front but then he was supposed to draw art on the top of them; flowers, dogs, sun-rays, and so on. They were easy enough to draw, at least when he wasn't busy, but when he had six orders to do and another ten people in line it was the kind of thing that drove him absolutely nuts.

He was completely exhausted by the time four o'clock rolled around and he still had two more hours of work to go. It was because of his exhaustion that he wasn't bothering to look directly at the customers anymore.

"My name is Seth, may I take your order?" he muttered the words as the next person stepped up to the counter.

"A large double mocha latte with an extra shot of espresso and two almond biscottis, please," a man's gravelly voice said, rumbling in just the right way to make Seth's blood rush in more than one direction.

He looked up and into Garrett's eyes in spite of his own resolve to ignore his attraction to the man. He'd never been more grateful than at the moment that his skin was dark enough to hide the worst of his blush.

"Certainly professor. It... it'll be coming right up." He looked away before he could stutter more than once, internally cursing his own twisted tongue.

He quickly typed the order into the computer and then pushed over the card reader for the professor to swipe his ID card in so it would be charged to his college account. Then he turned away to make his mocha latte with the extra espresso – and the extra mocha, not that Garrett had ever seemed to notice that it was more mocha than what most people got in their drinks.

He made the latte, putting it in the large glass and then placed the two biscottis on a plate and proceeded to set both on the counter for Garrett.

"Thanks," the man said, picking them up.

Seth refused to look directly at the professor again, muttering quickly, "You're welcome."

Seth went back to work and took probably a dozen more orders before he finally noticed a small piece of paper on his side of the counter.

He picked it up, looking at it. The paper had a phone number written on it and nothing else.

When he looked out at the few students, teachers, and assistants that were seated at the assorted tables to figure out who had left it for him Garrett was staring right at him.


	25. Chapter 24 - Declaration (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 24 – Declaration (Emmett)**

"The last time I was with someone – man or woman – was you. On that night three months ago."

Rosalie looked completely in shock. "Why?"

Emmett should have stopped to think before he blurted out his next words, but he didn't. "Because I love you."

Rosalie's eyes widened. "What? That isn't possible. You don't even know me."

"I know you better than you think, Rose. Even if we weren't to consider all that we talked about on our one date. I've been watching you since your Freshman year of high school. Don't you remember when I asked you to prom that year?"

She frowned, her brow furrowing in concentration. "A lot of people asked me to prom that year, Emmett. Everyone wanted to get with the it crowd and I was the easiest in. People wanted to get close to Tanya, Kate, and Maria. Everyone knew that the three hottest chicks in school were going places. Kate had already been modeling for Victoria's Secret for a year, Tanya had already done her first two films, and Maria had put together her first EP. Three people on the fast track to fame and success. I said no to everyone who asked me out that year and ended up going to prom with Kate."

"You laughed in my face when I asked you," he prompted. He wasn't sure why, but he wanted Rosalie to remember him – to remember his first attempt with her.

"That... isn't exactly helpful. I had that art perfected when I was in high school, Emmett. It was easy to laugh someone off and to be super cruel. Wait – I know where to check." She turned and walked into the living room of her house.

He followed and watched as she went over to a bookshelf and pulled out a thin leather-bound book. It was a deep navy blue with gold binding. He recognized it immediately as being a high school year book.

She flipped through it, stopping when she got to a page, her eyes widening again. "I remember when you asked me now. You were the one with the slick backed hair and the leather jacket – the one that believed Grease was still a fashion statement."

He winced. "We all go through stupid stages at one time or another."

"You asked me again to prom the next year, if I remember right."

"I did. You laughed at me again. Then I graduated, went off to college and studied at the police academy down in Tacoma. By the time I came back and took a job with your dad, you'd already moved away to Seattle."

"And you've asked me out a few times since I've moved back home. I finally got annoyed with you asking me a few months ago and agreed to that one date just to get you to back off."

"And if that's really all you want from me, then... I don't like it, but I can accept it. I can't force you to like me, Rosalie. But at least now you know who I am. And I mean who I really am, not just some persona that people attribute to me. I know I was interested in you from the first day that I saw you. I know the way your lips curve when you smile, your laugh, the way your eyes light up when you're passionate about something, and the way they light up when you're infuriated." He shrugged. "I've given it my best shot, Rose, and if there's nothing there for you... then okay. But you can't stand there and tell me that you want to give our child to someone else. If you're too busy or too much of a robot to care about our child then let me have the child. I will take care of our child and raise him or her right."

At least then he'd always have some tie to her. It wasn't what he wanted, but he'd accept it.

Her eyes flashed in that same anger that he'd just told her he recognized. "Get the hell out of my house. Now."


	26. Chapter 25 - Dress (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 25 – Dress (Seth)**

Seth got out of his car at the same time that Emily pulled up out front. Somewhere in the back of his head he remembered Leah telling him that the terror twins were coming over. He dreaded seeing the inside of his house and wondered if Leah had remembered to put the pillows up this time so they didn't end up having to sleep on a bed of feathers again.

He didn't care how romantic a bed of feathers sounded in stupid romance novels. It wasn't  _romantic_. It was painful and awkward and stupid. And Leah and him had already had to sleep on a bed of feathers twice since he moved in six months prior.

He headed inside the apartment as Leah shouted, "Attack!"

He was immediately accosted by two children jumping on him. Alec's knee hit him in the groin as he caught the boy and he let out a grunt of pain.

Leah started laughing hard.

He was about to swear her out, but the doorbell rang signaling Emily had made it up the walk. He spun around to the door awkwardly. "Okay, time for the devil twins to get going."

He opened the door and Jane immediately clamored off of where she'd hooked herself to his leg and then he placed Alec on the ground as Leah came over with a large bag.

"Were they good today?" Emily asked.

"Mostly. I kept them nice and hyped up for you on lots of mountain dew and ice cream," Leah replied.

Emily scowled even though Leah was clearly joking. "Okay, well it's time to head home, kids. Tomorrow's a big day." The kids raced down the drive as Emily gave Leah the cash for the day of babysitting and took the bag.

Once they were gone, Seth headed into the kitchen to put together some supper.

"Seth, we need to talk."

He'd heard that tone before and immediately put effort into tuning her out, grunting randomly to make her believe he was listening as he pulled out some paper thin strips of raw steak, a thing of scallions, and parsley. I finally grabbed a bottle of soy out of the fridge before pulling out a box of chicken broth, sesame oil and two bags of plain ramen out of the cabinet.

He turned the stove on and poured in the chicken broth with some of the sesame oil and soy sauce before chopping scallions and parsley to put in his faux pho just as he tuned Leah back in

"... And I found this really cool wedding gown online today with real diamonds inlaid into the belt. The dress is only ten thousand dollars. You can afford to get me that for our wedding on a barista's salary right?"

He turned to stare at Leah. "Wait. What!"

"About time I got your attention! You already agreed to twelve dozen long-stem red roses and white calla lilies, a twenty tiered cake, and to have the wedding procession on horseback."

He shook his head adamantly. "No, I didn't. I'm not getting anywhere near an animal that weighs over ten times what I do."

"Then pay attention when I'm talking to you! Now I know you don't like you talking about your sexuality, but this –" she unfolded a piece of wrinkled paper and placed it on the counter "– is a very bad idea."

He knew without looking what paper it was going to be. "What I draw in my own time is my own business."

"That only works when sticky hands don't find it."

He grunted. "It's just a drawing. I never even talk to him." He felt like he was lying, but it was essentially true. Taking the professor's coffee order didn't qualify as talking to him as far as he was concerned. And he hadn't called Garrett... Yet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Officially Edward is going to get another chapter in about two or three more chapters, but if anyone wants a chapter from Edward now there's a really short chapter that I'm not going to official post. But it is posted on my blog.


	27. Chapter 26 - The Calm Before (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 26 – The Calm Before (Bella)**

_**August 2nd, 2011** _

Edward had now been in a coma for a solid week, which was the only reason she had called his father that morning. His time in the hospital was beginning to get too noticed and Bella knew that eventually his father would be called by someone else if she didn't head it off.

When Edward Sr declared he was coming to the hospital she tried to prepare and warned both Alice and Jasper to stay away from the hospital. She should have known Alice wouldn't listen to her though because when she left Edward's room and went out to wait for his father to arrive she found Alice and Jasper in the waiting room.

It changed her original plan of shuffling him into the waiting room and talking to him there. She supposed she could take him to Edward's hospital room. After all, it wasn't like he was awake to be aware of him anyways... but she really hated that idea.

A couple minutes later one of the front doors of the hospital opened and in stepped Edward Cullen Sr. His hair, once a dark chestnut brown color, was now a salt and pepper gray but it still had the same wavy, unkempt effect that his son's had. He had laugh lines around his eyes and mouth, but still could manage that suave crooked smile. That smile and his voice were what had won him several elections over the years.

"Hello Mr. Cullen, it's a pleasure to see you again," Bella said pleasantly, her voice taking on a syrupy sweetness she'd picked up when her and her mom had spent almost an entire year in Florida back when she'd been about six. She reached her hand out to him.

"Isabella. It's always nice to see one of my many constituents." He took her hand, shaking it.

She was starting to feel nauseous just standing near the man, but she pushed it away. She was sure it was just the same stress related illness she'd been suffering from for days now, which  _he_ certainly didn't help.

"Actually, I voted for Marcus Voltaire, sir," she replied, keeping her voice with the same pleasant tone. "If you'll follow me, I'll take you to your son."

"Hmmm."

She turned her back on him and walked away from him, going the long way around through the hospital so he wouldn't happen to glance into the waiting room. When they arrived at Edward's room, she took a deep breath to steady herself, already wishing she had another idea. She opened the door, holding it for the man before stepping in behind him and letting the door close.

"As you can see from what I told you on the phone, he is in a coma but is completely stable. His brain functions are normal."

"And why are you here again?"

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I'm his medical power of attorney, in case you forgot."

Edward Sr waved his hand dismissively. "Yes, because he still blames me for his own self inflicted wounds rather than admitting that he has a mental issue. Is he even still taking his prescribed meds?"

Bella clenched her fists but reminded herself why she couldn't punch him. "After going to two different specialists it was determined that he doesn't have an aggression syndrome caused by an extra chromosome because he doesn't have  _any_  extra chromosome."

"Well... perhaps he outgrew it."

Bella blinked and opened her mouth to respond when a low groan emanated from the room.


	28. Chapter 27 - Coward (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 27 – Coward (Rosalie)**

She'd been parked half a block down from Emmett's place for two hours that morning already.

She wasn't sure what she was hoping for more, that some woman would slink out of his house and prove he was a liar or that he would come out and get in one of his vehicles and leave already. Both Emmett's pickup and his police cruiser were parked in his drive which meant he was home, but the one thing she didn't want to do was actually talk to him. She just wanted to leave her letter and go, but he didn't seem to be going anywhere today, so she couldn't just leave the letter with the plane ticket for him the way she wanted to.

He'd told her that he hadn't been with anyone since that night with her, told her that he loved her, implied that he'd actually thought that night had truly meant something... and she hadn't been able to get that night out of her head since he'd stopped by five days prior and said all that.

So she was going to do something stupid and invite him to come with her to New York for her fashion show. She wouldn't really have much time to spend with him if he did come, she didn't have time to even be contemplating something like  _any type_  of relationship with Emmett, and she was sure he'd be bored out of his mind at a fashion show. He was the chief of police and had probably been lying to her anyway. She was sure he wouldn't come. But for all that...

She should be home packing her bag so it was prepared for when she left in another week, or at the hospital with her sister, or drawing her designs for her summer line... Anything other than what she was doing.

She started her car to leave. She could come back in the evening. If he was gone at night, then she'd know he was lying and she wouldn't have to leave it at all. She wasn't sure what she'd do if he was home though.

She pulled away from where she was parked to drive away but looked at the cruiser. Her dad had never been one to lock the doors when he was alive and she wondered if Emmett had picked up her father's bad habit.

She stopped the car out front of his house and quickly got out of her vehicle, walking over to the cruiser. The door opened when she tried it and so she put the letter on the driver's side seat then she hurriedly walked back to her car and got in, quickly driving away.


	29. Chapter 28 - The Storm (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 28 – The Storm (Edward)**

His throat felt soar – in large part because of the giant tube that had been stuffed down it until about thirty minutes ago. The fact that the asshole had been in the room as a doctor had come in and removed it pissed him off to no end. What the fuck was he doing here, wherever here was, anyways?

He'd heard, even though he hadn't been quite up to speaking when the tube had been in, as Bella had suggested that maybe his father should come back at another time, but his father had crossed his arms and stated something to Bella about how he was already here so he might as well stay.

Bella hadn't looked happy about it, but she hadn't tried anymore than that to get him to leave. Edward knew that Bella was long accustomed to knowing when a battle was a losing one, especially when it came to  _anything_ involving his father.

When the doctor had started to pull the tube out, her face had turned green and she'd quickly run out of the hospital room, which had left him alone with his father once the doctor left.

"It looks like you really did it this time, boy."

Edward crossed his arms over his chest. It didn't work very well with the needles still in his arms and the pulse reader on his finger, and it probably just looked sad with the way he was lying in a hospital bed, but he didn't care. "What are you doing here?" His voice was hoarse from disuse, but he managed to get it out.

"You're 'medical power of attorney' decided to do the smart thing and call me. Do you have any idea of how bad this would have looked for my public image if it got out that you've been snorting cocaine. Luckily, I think I've been notified in time to prevent anything from getting out. We can get you scheduled to go to a place in Los Angeles which is officially registered as a spa to help you to kick this habit."

"I don't need to go to some stupid prissy rehab center. I'm fine."

"You are not fine. I raised you better than this."

Edward couldn't help himself, he laughed. "You didn't raise me at all. You screwed me. Both literally and figuratively."

"I did no such thing. I know you like to blame me for your own issues, but you're an adult now. You must know you're the one at fault. You've always had mental issues. You know that."

He'd been told those lines enough growing up that he was thrown back to his childhood. For a moment all he could think was that his father was right, he was the one to blame for everything. He'd grown up being told that everything that was done to him, his twin sister too, had all been his fault. He couldn't remember a time when his father hadn't blamed him for everything – especially his mother's death.

He'd never known his mother as she'd died on the operating table when Alice and Edward had been born. She'd bleed out while the doctors had been working to save his life as he'd been born with a collapsed lung. It was why he was to blame, because her death was his fault.

Then he remembered Bella, the first person that had ever fought for him – his sister too. She'd been adamant that what was being done to them was abuse, torture, molestation, and more. She'd convinced him to try and get help, and even though it had never gone anywhere... her words were proof that it wasn't his fault.

"Bull-fucking-shit!" he snarled.

His father stared at him with a look of such disappointment, as if he should see the error of his ways, that it made Edward flinch. He tried to remind himself that he'd been out from under his father's thumb for over six years now but it didn't do him very much good. His hands started to shake under his own duress.

Just then Bella walked back in the room.

"Mr. Cullen, I just spoke with one of the doctors out there and they say that Edward should get some rest."

"He's been sleeping for the last week."

"No, he's been in a coma, it's different. If you'd like to talk to a doctor about it, I'm sure I can get one to explain it to you."

His father narrowed his eyes at her but she just smiled blindingly at him.

Finally he gave an almost imperceptible shrug. "Fine, I'll come by to check on you later, son." He looked back at Edward for a moment before leaving the room as Bella held the door open for him.

The instant he was gone, Bella raced over to Edward's side.


	30. Chapter 29 - The Letter (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 29 – The Letter (Emmett)**

He'd taken the day off from work because he wanted to go to Port Angeles and see his brother, Garrett, but he knew that his brother worked until early evening so he was really wasting the day being lazy because he didn't know what else to do.

He'd spent most of the morning playing some first person shooter game that he couldn't remember the name of. It wasn't as good as the ones where he got to kill off zombies, but he couldn't be bothered to change the game in his machine.

It wasn't until he heard the squeal of tires and the sudden roar of an engine being accelerated that he paused the game. He went to the window and looked out but didn't see anything right away, so he headed outside in his boxers and t-shirt and looked around yet still didn't see anything.

Since Emmett was already outside he jogged down to his mailbox to get his mail, the short jog took him by his police cruiser where he just happened to look in and see the envelope on the seat. He opened the door and pulled it out and headed back in his house.

He could almost hear his instructor at the police academy warning him to be careful of mysterious packages that could contain things like bombs and anthrax, but this was Forks... besides, he recognized the perfume. He just wasn't sure why Rosalie would leave him anything in an envelope.

He tore open the envelope and pulled out a letter along with what looked sort of like a pamphlet. He set the pamphlet aside and opened the envelope.

_Emmett,_

_I just wanted to tell you that I did like that date we had a few months ago. It did mean something to me as well, but the thing is that my career is my life and it's what I have to focus on at the moment. I won't say that I don't ever want a relationship, but right now there are only so many hours in the day and I would never want to string anyone along._

_You say you know me, and I guess I did talk about myself enough that night that it very well may feel that way to you, but I'm not sure you really understand. I am, very much, married to my job. I go to New York in just over a week for a fashion show._

_It'll be boring and I'll be busy almost the entire time I'm there, but if you really want to know me then you need to see me. And the fashion world is me – my world. I've left you with an airline ticket if you want to come, but I know it's a lot to ask... I know it isn't your scene._

_I guess what I'm really saying is, please come._

_Maybe we can make things work._

_Rosalie_

He blinked and reread the letter, not at all sure what he'd just read.


	31. Chapter 30 - The Game (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 30 – The Game (Jasper)**

"We should leave," he murmured again, trying one more time to get his little miss to change her mind. Not that it was going to do him any good. He knew how Alice worked, and once her mind was made up it would take hell and high-water to changer her mind.

"No, he'll expect me to be here. I wouldn't want to disappoint as it's all part of the the game," Alice said stubbornly.

"Game? What game?" he practically growled the worlds. He hated it when she said little mysterious things like that because he never knew what to make of them and because most of the time she wouldn't give a straight answer.

"The same game you played in Iraq for four years. You know life and death, love and hate, freedom and torture. My father knows I'd never truly abandoned my brother. It's why he let  _me_  go at sixteen instead of Edward. I need to be here."

Her words, the casual insinuation of things that had occurred on the battlefield that he'd tried to leave behind, made him wince. He didn't have time to comment though as suddenly the waiting room door opened and her father stepped in.

Edward Cullen Sr looked a lot like his son with about an addition of forty years, at least on the surface, but Jasper always something in the man's eyes that made spiders crawl up his back. In Iraq, it had been something he'd seen in suicide bombers and other terrorists. Their unwavering faith in their devout beliefs made them fanatics. But in Edward Sr, without the backing of some religion or faith... it just made him insane.

"Father," Alice said, straightening up in her seat.

"Alice, it's good to see that you are here for your brother."

"Of course, I've been here every day.  _I_  do right by my family."

Jasper looked at Alice, he knew the sound of a bear being poked when he heard it. Jasper was sure what she was up to. She was always good at the public front, much better than her brother had ever been, but it always came at a huge cost later.

"If that's so then why didn't you call me when this happened."

"I must have lost your number," she said coldly, crossing her arms over her chest.

"And is that also why you haven't gotten back to me on my job offer?"

Jasper remembered when she'd gotten that email about a month ago. Her father's assistant had sent an email requesting for a website to be designed for his new campaign. Jasper barely gotten to her in time to stop her from breaking her laptop. It had taken him two days after that to convince her to go back to work.

He was watching her, which was the only reason he saw when she blinked and flinched at her father's words.


	32. Chapter 31 - Choices (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 31 – Choices (Edward)**

"I won't do it," Bella said stubbornly as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"I'm leaving tonight whether you help me or not, Bells," he said. He was not going to stay in the hospital and wait for his father to make visit number two. There were better ways he could spend his time.

"Then do it yourself. I'm not going to take you back to your house just so you can go get high again and end up back here in another day. I won't do it."

"Fine, I'll check myself out. Or I'll just walk out and not even bother to do that."

Bella reached up and pinched the bridge of her nose just before she turned her back to him and walked several feet away from the bed he was on.

"I'll tell him where you live, Edward." Her voice was quiet, subdued.

"What?" She couldn't possibly mean what he thought she did. She wouldn't... He suddenly couldn't breath, panicking at the thought of what she was suggesting.

"I've been helping you and your sister since middle school. More than half of our lives. I thought I'd seen the worst thing I ever could that night when I was fifteen and snuck into your bedroom window to find you bound and bleeding... I've watched you when you're so high that you couldn't even remember your own name, let alone anything else. I've helped you get heroin before when you didn't have the money to buy it yourself, and you were so strung out in desperation for another hit that I could stand to see you in pain any longer. Then I agreed to be your medical power of attorney two years ago because I thought it would help. But frankly it's not. And I won't do this again."

He knew all of what she was saying. He'd been there for all of it and knew he owed her a lot, but what did any of that having to do with her betraying him? "I know..." he finally said, not sure why she was bringing up his history – their history.

"No, you don't know. You have no idea. The hospital called me seven days ago to tell me you were here, and for the first two days I legitimately thought you might be brain dead." She turned to look at him, her eyes filled with so much pain that he wished she'd turn her back again. "I thought I would have to be responsible for pulling that plug. I won't do it again, Edward. So if you won't get yourself help, than I will tell your father where you live and you can have the medical power of attorney transferred back to him. He might be able to help you, because I can't."

By the time she was done, she was crying. He opened his mouth for a moment, almost agreeing to do what she wanted just so she'd stop the tears. He couldn't stand to see her cry. But he also couldn't lie to her. He shut his mouth.

There was about thirty seconds of dead silence in the room before Bella turned and fled the room.


	33. Chapter 32 - Faceless (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 32 – Faceless (Alice)**

She couldn't answer her father at first.

She tried to imagine his face melting again so she could keep talking to him, but the truth was the mental image was difficult to pull up even when she was fully focused. It wasn't something she'd actually experienced in years, and she'd never actually seen it on her father, just her brother after she'd ate some mushrooms he had – at the time she hadn't realized they were a psychedelic variety.

Of course, even as a young teen, Edward had already been the spitting image of his father. She was the one that had gotten the freak genes. She looked nothing like either of her parents and nothing like her twin. Her mom had been five foot ten when she was alive and her dad was four inches taller than her mom had been. Her father had green eyes and her mother's had been hazel. Her dad's hair was the same copper color as her brother's and her mom had been blond.

Alice could only reach five foot in height when she wore heels. She had extremely dark brown hair – practically black in most light – and blue eyes. If she hadn't been Edward's twin and could see his clear resemblance to his father with her own eyes, she'd almost swear her mother had been having an affair at the time she was conceived. How else could she look  _so_ different?

"I only develop websites part time, father, and I get dozens of requests every week. Many of them get an automated email sent out with a rejection attached. If you have a firewall or something preset, the automated email may not have come through," she finally replied, her voice monotone.

Everything she said was one hundred percent true, except for the implication that she'd sent that email to him. She hadn't.

"Ah, I see. That's too bad. It's my understanding that you're good at it."

She was the best damn website designer in this part of the country and usually she'd be quick to snap just that, but she didn't want her father trying to get her to do anything for him. It was taking every ounce of her control not to start sweating or breaking out in goosebumps just from him staring at her. She should have listened to Bella and stayed away, but as she'd told Jasper, it was all part of  _the game_.

She opened her mouth to make a recommendation when Bella stepped into the waiting room. Before her father turned to see who came in, Alice saw as Bella quickly mouthed, "He's awake."

As her father turned to face her, Bella flashed him a smile. "Mr Cullen, I'm glad I caught you before you left. I wanted to actually talk to you about the upcoming quarterly town hall. I was wondering if you'd be willing to do me the honor of gracing it with your presence. I'm going to be bringing up the idea of getting a town memorial for my father again, and I'd truly love to have your backing as such a predominant member of our community."

As she was talking she managed to move him to the side so he wasn't directly in the way of the waiting room door. Alice got up and quickly pulled Jasper up so they could head out and go see Edward, but she paused as she walked out of the waiting room, hearing Bella's next words.

"As you remember, Mr Cullen, he died protecting your daughter's foster sister. I know how grateful you were when the Webers took on Alice for her last two years of school while you tried... to help Edward with his issues. I know... how  _important_  family is to you."

Alice heard both of her best friend's pauses and heard the way the words sounded too pleasant to possibly be sincere. She'd forgotten just how good Bella was at the game of cat and mouse with her father. Of course, when they'd been in school, Bella had been the only one really willing to keep playing when it became clear that her father would always win the war – even if he did lose an occasional battle.

Alice let the door slide shut and quickly headed down the hall to her brother's room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick note, as of last chapter I officially ran out of what I'd had pre-written for this story. That being said, I'll usually still be able to post nightly but I am human and have a life outside of writing fanfiction and sometimes writing can get very exhausting with as much as I do (five other stories currently being written), so I may occasionally take a day off here or there.


	34. Chapter 33 - Anger (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 33 – Anger (Rosalie)**

_**August 3rd, 2011** _

She needed espresso that morning which was why she left the house at six am to go to the small coffee shop that was downtown. It was relatively new to Forks, only about two years old and was trying to imitate Starbucks in a relatively ineffective capacity for the most part.

She knew espresso wasn't good for the pregnancy, at least not in high quantities, but she wasn't in the mood to care. It was going to be a long day for her as she needed to make a trip to Seattle to go look over some things in person – it wasn't the kind of drive she particularly enjoyed either.

Still, her drive to the coffee shop took her past the police station where she saw her little sister's pickup truck parked out front. She pulled to a stop immediately.

Rosalie couldn't imagine why her sister would be there so early in the morning so she quickly got out of her car and marched over to the police department.

She spotted Bella at a table, sitting by herself, and filling out some type of paper.

"Bella, what are you doing here?" she asked, walking right over to her.

Bella flinched, hunching over the paper she was filling out. "Nothing of importance, sis." She didn't look up at her as she said it, which told Rose right away that Bella was lying.

She stepped over to the table and yanked the paper away from her little sis, looking at it. It was a form to fill out a non-emergency related police report. Her eyes widened at what her sister had so far written on the paper.

"What the hell are you doing?" she snarled quietly, wishing she could shout it, but she didn't want to attract Deputy Mark's attention – who was sitting at his desk only a little farther in the room. She wasn't going to  _let_  her sister hand the report she was now holding over to the cops.

"I told him yesterday that if he checked himself out, I'd turn him over to his dad. He checked himself out anyways, but I can't do that to him... I have to do something though and if he won't help himself than I'll make him go without. Cold turkey in the prison system will get him clean whether he wants to be or not." Her little sis once again wouldn't look at her.

"You realize you're admitting to dealing, right? Do you understand that while he might get a year or two, you'll get a lot longer? Do you get that?" Rosalie was completely livid with her little sis.

"I didn't sell him anything, Rose, so actually it would be shared possession, and yes, I understand what I'm doing." Bella's voice was soft, resigned.

She grabbed her little sister's ear and pulled. "Go home. You are not going to do this. Do you understand me? I'll take care of getting Edward the help he needs."

"Ow," she complained, slapping at the hand pulling on her ear.

Rosalie pulled harder. "Do you understand?"

"Okay, fine. I'll go home," she finally said after trying, unsuccessfully, to get Rosalie to let go of her ear again.

She let go. "Good."

Rosalie crossed her arms over her chest and waited until her little sis got up and headed to the door. She followed and made sure Bella got in her truck and pulled out before she headed over to her car. Rosalie suddenly had a different destination in mind than a coffee shop.


	35. Chapter 34 - Threat (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 34 – Threat (Edward)**

He had no early warning for the loud banging on his door that started at seven am per his bedside clock. It was far too early for a social call so he shoved his pillow on top of his face to try and drown it out.

Of course, after two minutes of hiding his head under the pillow and the knocking not stopping, he finally got up and headed to the door. He didn't bother to throw anything on aside from the boxers and t-shirt he was wearing. Whoever was waking him up at such an ungodly hour would just have to deal with it.

Rosalie was on the other side of his door when he opened it.

"Rosalie? What are you doing here?"

"Get dressed and then get your sorry ass in my car." Her voice and eyes were livid in a way that he didn't understand and he didn't remember ever slighting her.

"I will do no such thing." He may owe Bella his life, but he owed nothing to her bossy older sister.

She pulled something out of her purse, unfolding it and thrusting it into his hands. "Go ahead. Read it," she growled.

He looked down at it and blinked not quite understanding what he was looking at. Some sort of form called an N-109EM.

"Never mind," she said angrily. "You're too slow and I've got it memorized already. 'I, Isabella Marie Black admit to willingly and unlawfully purchasing heroin on the morning of February twenty-third, 2009 for the purpose of distributing to Edward Anthony Cullen, for the sole purpose that he could get high. Upon providing him with the drugs I witnessed him use...' and that was where I cut her off from writing out the rest of the report to hand over to cops. So you will be getting dressed and coming with me to Seattle, or so help me god, I will go back home and come back with my dad's old shotgun."

"You can't make me do any such thing."

"Do you even know what happened on February twenty-third, 2009, Edward? Aside from her getting you drugs, obviously."

Edward tried to remember if there had been anything of significance on that day, but he couldn't think of anything. He did remember the day of course, vaguely, because he remembered Bella getting him the stuff he didn't have the money, and he remembered her sudden disappearance from his life afterwards, but that was it.

He finally shrugged.

"That was the day she lost her fourth pregnancy, almost twenty weeks along and she had a late miscarriage. I always wondered what happened, because she was far enough in the pregnancy that she shouldn't have miscarried anymore. She never did tell me what happened, though I saw the bruise. I even thought for awhile that Jacob had been the reason, but it wasn't, was it. So were you the one that kicked her, or was it the asshole she bought the drugs from?"

Edward backed up fast, practically falling over his living room coffee table in the process of trying to escape from what she was saying. "I wouldn't... I couldn't... She didn't... I didn't... I... I didn't know." He barely managed to stutter out the nonsensical starts to his statements. She'd never told him, never even mentioned what had caused that miscarriage, though he'd remembered that she'd stopped coming by for more than three months after she'd gotten him those drugs. He'd always just assumed that she was pissed at him for buying the drugs. As he thought about it though, he remembered that it hadn't been until he'd asked her to be his medical power of attorney that she'd started talking to him again.

As he tried to remember more details though, he didn't know if he was the one that had hurt Bella, he just couldn't remember.

"Now, are you going to get dressed? Or am I coming back with a shotgun?" Rosalie asked, stepping into his tiny apartment and closing the door before crossing her arms over her chest.

He swallowed and hung his head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick note, the person who kicked Bella is one of the nine main characters of this story, but it wasn't Edward and it wasn't Jacob. It was, in essence, an accident and I'm not sure it will ever be revealed who it was. Though it may be later in the book


	36. Chapter 35 - Baseline (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So a quick note on this story. As this story continues onward, there's going to be a period while Edward is in rehab where Bella is going to be with Jacob. After that, Edward and Bella will have some time together. I'm not going to confirm or deny who Bella is going to eventually be with at the end as of yet. I know how the story is currently plotted out in my mind, but I see several ways it could end and as such I don't know with a hundred percent certainty which way it will go yet for certain. The reason the title is called a Roller Coaster is it's an accurate description of life. For most people, life has ups, downs, straights, curves, and loops, just like a typical roller coaster... And sometimes, loops are inevitable.

**Chapter 35 – Baseline (Jacob)**

When he got home from another tedious day working at Dowling's, he believed the house was going to be as silent as the dead, the same way it had been for the last week. He was planning to debate half the night about calling Leah before finally deciding not to, as he had done for every night over the last week. He truly thought it was going to be yet another evening alone.

He wasn't expecting to find the aroma of cooking tomato sauce, nor was he expecting the home answering machine to be blinking with a missed message.

He checked the voice machine first and after the annoying automated voice notified him of the time and date that it was left, it got to the good part.

" _This is Charlotte Price with Price Realty, the person selling the property outside of Forks has agreed to your offer. Please call me back if you're still interested."_

He let out a relieved breath. He'd been worried that his offer would be refused as it had been substantially lower than the asking price. He hadn't wanted to offer more though, because of how much effort would have to be put into a raw piece property like that.

Jacob then headed towards the kitchen half expecting to see Bella, but she wasn't there, instead there was a slow cooker turned onto low and a note on the counter.

He looked at the note.

_Planning to make lasagna tonight when I get back from work. Don't you dare touch that sauce early._

He couldn't help himself, he grinned.

Before they'd lost William, those kinds of notes had been a baseline normal from Bella. She had always loved to cook and it had been something that had shown through practically daily for their first two years of marriage. Then their son had died, he'd started cheating, her own father had died, and eventually she had started cheating as well. It became a vicious circle, still was actually.

Often times he felt that the reason they were still together was because they were both too stubborn to quit, but then there were days, much like today, where he believed they just were meant to be.


	37. Chapter 36 - Animals (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> Warning: Quick note, as a general rule I don't write too much smut, especially in any amount of detail, first and foremost because I write my stories with the intent of being posted to ff dot net more than any other site and as such I try to keep it to the rating of an M and not MA or NC-17. That being said, there is a little in this chapter and it is slash, so... don't read if you don't go for that.

**Chapter 36 – Animals (Seth)**

The back of his head hit the brick wall and he let out a soft groan. He wasn't supposed to be doing this. He should have been going to his next class or going to the library to study or any number of things other than letting Austin Marks go down on him.

Austin had been the only guy he'd ever come out to, because Austin was safe. When Seth had been in his early teens and first started to realize it wasn't girls he was into, he'd spent weeks in Forks trying to find someone to talk to. Austin was a year older than Seth and had been out in the town of Forks as being bi from the time he was thirteen, and in spite of that he was still the popular high school jock – guys still hung out with him all the time.

Over four years after Seth had first met Austin and he was still Seth's primary... buddy for when Seth needed some sort of release. He tried to avoid reaching out to Austin for as long as possible, often times he'd even convince himself that he could go without altogether for months at a time, but then there would be times like now where Seth desperately needed something other than his own hand. And this, was all because of the phone number that was in his wallet and burning a hole in his brain. For the last week he'd woke up every morning swearing to himself he was going to throw it away, but every night by the time he went to bed it was still in his wallet – still uncalled.

Austin's nails on his nipples brought him back to the now as Austin's mouth wrapped around Seth's dick. Seth groaned again then knotted his hands in Austin's hair, encouraging him on. Austin's tongue pressed against the underside of his cock as his teeth raked over the top. Seth let out a shuddering breath, his legs shaking slightly from the intense rush that the pain and pleasure mixture brought on.

He hated that about himself, hated that it took pain to find any amount of enjoyment, hated that it took a guy for him to truly find any real pleasure.

Seth let go of Austin's hair, feeling sick with himself. "Stop."

Austin pulled back immediately but looked up at Seth darkly. "You came to me, remember?"

"I know, but this is wrong."

Austin sighed and stood up. "It isn't. You do realize there are well over a thousand species of animals that practice homosexual behavior and ours is the only one that bellyaches over it."

"I didn't know you spoke dog," Seth griped in aggravation. He knew Austin's feelings on the subject but Austin didn't get it. Austin's parents had both been proud when he'd come out, bought 'My son is bi' bumper stickers and had spent a lot of time guaranteeing fair rights in Forks High School. Seth had lived a completely different life than Austin. His mother had died when he was young and he could barely remember her so he couldn't be sure how she would have felt, and he'd only been ten when his father had passed but he had seen his dad's opinion on anyone who wasn't straight – or Native American, but that was another issue altogether – plus he'd seen the derision that both of his older sisters had for gays and lesbians.

Austin snorted, placing his hands on Seth's neck so that his thumbs rested at the base of his ears. "It  _is_ alright to be gay, Seth." He leaned forward, kissing Seth.

Seth closed his eyes and once again tangled his hand in Austin's hair, letting him explore his mouth.

A minute later, Austin pulled back murmuring, "Let me make you feel good." Then he dropped back to his knees, once again wrapping his mouth around Seth's cock.


	38. Chapter 37 - Rehab Center (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 37 – Rehab Center (Rosalie)**

"When Bella asks you who's paying for this, my name is not going to come up, got it? My sister hates feeling like she owes me things. So as far as she'll be concerned you got your dad to agree to pay for this or your sister or even Tanya. I don't care who actually, just keep my name out of it." Rosalie said as she walked down the hall of the building.

It wasn't the kind of place she saw in her mind when she thought of a rehabilitation facility. It was light and open with fancy wooden floors, walls with multi-colored abstract paintings, giant windows opening to their rolling gardens, and more. Rosalie couldn't help but wonder where the white walls and giant locking doors were, along with the bars on tiny windows.

... So maybe she was confusing an asylum with a rehab center.

"You want me to lie to your sister and my best friend?" Edward hadn't spoke much on the trip to Seattle, choosing to pout in silence instead.

"Yes, because I protect my family, even from themselves when necessary. I even try to care for Sue and her children, not that the stubborn and proud woman will take anything I offer. It's why my little half sister is growing up in a freaking shanty on the beach rather than a decent house," she groused angrily. She was exaggerating some, Sue's house wasn't  _that_  bad, but it was close. "This is me protecting Bella."

Edward shook his head and didn't reply.

She stepped into the office with Edward following her in. She stepped up to the man sitting behind the desk with the graying blond hair. He looked good for a man that was nearing sixty – as per the rehab center's website. "Hello, Doctor Masen, my name's Rosalie and we talked on the phone." She held her hand out to him.

He didn't take her hand immediately. "Rosalie, my wife and co-owner of this facility thought she recognized your name so I looked you up. Our rehab center is good and I'm not ashamed to admit that, but we don't really have the security and such in place for someone as well known as you."

Rosalie smiled widely. She liked his bluntness. "With all do respect, when I need rehab, I go wipe out a credit card at Chanel. It's called retail therapy and it works miracles. I'm not here for me though. I'm here for him." She nodded her head back at Edward. "This is Edward –"

She trailed off, the Cullen name was no less was infamous than her fashion line.

"Garfunkel. The last name's Garfunkel," Edward said quietly.

He looked at Edward. "Hello Edward, my name's Carlisle Masen. You can call me Carlisle." He held out his hand.


	39. Chapter 38 - Bruise (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 38 – Bruise (Bella)**

She knew she was supposed to start the lasagna when she got home but she headed straight toward the shower. She'd been feeling ill all day, queasy with bouts of lightheadedness, practically passing out a couple of times. She was certain it was because of the stress she'd been under and was still under as she considered how she was going to break it off with Jake.

To top off her illness she had to deal with Mike – the owner of Newton's Olympic Outfitters and her boss – today, which hadn't helped. Normally she could put up with his casual passes at her as they were the same passes he'd been making off and on for seven years. They were completely harmless and she was used to them.

Newton's was one of only a handful of full time jobs in the area and the only one that she was qualified to do. She didn't have the proper education to be a nurse or doctor, the same with being a teacher, and the one time she'd tried to work on a car she'd managed to foul out three of the six spark plugs – not that Dowling would ever hire a woman even if she was good at it.

"Jake, I'll start the food after I get out of the shower," she said loudly as she headed into the bathroom.

"Do you need some help?" he asked back.

She thought about how her head strong and quick to anger husband would react to the shadow on her upper arm if he saw it. "Not tonight," she shouted back.

She slipped out of her clothes as soon as she got in the bathroom. The light shadow that had been on her arm four hours ago had bloomed into a full scale black bruise.

She grabbed her cell phone out of her pants pocket and snapped a photo of the bruise, quickly forwarding the photo to Jessica followed by a text.

_Control your husband if you want him to continue to have use of his family jewels._

It was a low blow and Bella knew it because the bruise had been completely accidental. She'd been on a ladder and stocking the top shelf when she'd suddenly gotten lightheaded and fell. He'd caught her and grabbed onto her arm a little too hard in the process.

The thing was that she was sick of him constantly making casual remarks like "want to lock the doors and spend some time in the back room."

He never came out and said he wanted to make out with her, sleep with her, or anything truly incriminating. Instead, it was all overtly casual and completely impossible to make something like a harassment charge stick over it. So usually she put up with it, but today she wasn't in the mood and if anyone could control him it was his wife.

Bella stepped into the shower, trying to scrub off the feeling of being sick.


	40. Chapter 39 - Broken (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 39 – Broken (Alice)**

_**August 4** **th** **, 2011** _

It was the sound of a breaking glass that woke Alice from her sleep. She got up and quickly pulled on her black slip that she usually wore to sleep before racing out into the living room.

There were hundreds of shards of glass – crystal from a crystal vase, actually – on the floor and Jasper was in the middle of it all.

Alice stopped cold for a minute. She could tell immediately that Jasper wasn't aware... not truly awake. He'd been like it a lot when they'd first started dating, back before they'd gotten married. The four years he'd served in the army had left lasting tears in his psyche in the form of ptsd and sometimes he'd have fits where he would relive events from serving.

She'd loved him in spite of his scars. He'd sought out help and treatment by the time he'd asked her to marry him... and between counseling and the Lexipro that he took he'd gotten better.

Still, once in a rare while he'd have an episode of some sort. He'd punched a hole in their bedroom wall about a year ago, smashed a mirror about six months before that, and there'd been a few other outbursts through their four years of marriage. The worst one had happened almost two and half years ago when she'd had to call his cousin because she hadn't been able to snap him out of it on her own. Of course, if she'd known it would end the way it had she would have called his brother instead. The problem was that his brother was a cop and sometimes she wasn't sure which part of him was actually going to show up at the door.

"Jasper, wake up," she said urgently.

He didn't even glance at her.

She cursed under her breath, wishing she had her shoes, all of them in a rack by the front door... on the other side of the living room.

She raced through the glass and over to her husband.


	41. Chapter 40 - Little Ears (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So I've officially created a second story that goes with this called The Emotional Roller Coaster of Life – The Cut-takes. The Cut-takes will feature scenes from people who aren't main characters like Emily and Garrett, really short scenes like Edward's dream, and scenes from both before the start of the book and in the five year gap between the prologue and chapter one.

**Chapter 40 – Little Ears (Leah)**

She sat down on the beach with her little half-sister, Claire. Her mom had to take her half-brothers Embry and Quil to Olympia for some sort of junior summer camp, so she'd agreed to take care of Claire. Of her three younger half-siblings, Claire was the only one that was reasonable to take care of anyways.

Claire was a handful, but that was only because of her age, not because of anything else. Her brothers on the other hand seemed to both have giant chips on their shoulders, which was ironic since neither was even a teen yet.

She wasn't paying attention to the other people on the beach which was how Emily walked up to her without her noticing.

"Is Seth gay?"

The question stopped Leah cold.

Slowly she turned her head to look up at her older cousin. "What?"

"Is your fiance, Seth, gay?" Emily spoke the words slowly watching for Leah's reaction.

Leah flinched and turned her head to face the ocean. "I don't know what you're talking about," she said stonily.

"Really? So that's why my son decided to tell me that you advised him that some drawing of a dude was a rocky road?"

Leah didn't have to glance at Emily to know she had crossed her arms over her chest. It was clear in the tone of her voice.

Leah swore under her breath before replying with the same answer that she'd given before. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Are you really going to marry a guy that doesn't even love you?" Emily's voice was scornful.

"Stay out of it, cousin." Her voice was cold.

"What the hell kind of game are you playing at, Leah?"

"I said, stay out of it."

"You're going to ruin his life and  _yours_ if you marry him, Leah."

Leah got to her feet and turned to face her cousin, clenching her fists. "I'll ruin his life if I don't.  _I'm_  normal.  _I'm_  safe. It's what he  _needs_."

"What does  _that_  even mean?"

"It means that he doesn't want to be like that." She really didn't want to get in this argument with her cousin, but she'd seen Seth's reaction every time she brought up his preferences. He  _might_ be gay or bi, but it was bluntly obvious that he wanted to be straight.

"So what? You two are just going to play house and pretend?"

"We aren't  _playing_ at anything."

"Really? How many times have you gone out with someone else in the last month then?"

"It's called being in an open relationship. Perhaps you should try it. Maybe then your husband wouldn't feel so cock-blocked that he'd have to spend an entire summer sleeping around with jail-bait." It was a low blow and she knew it, but offense made the best defense and –

The resounding sound of skin meeting flesh registered in Leah's ears before she felt the physical pain of being slapped.

She shoved her cousin hard, putting enough force into the shove to send her sprawling on the ground. She stepped over Emily and stared down at her angrily.

"It's my relationship, so stay the fuck out of it and mind your own god damn business. Or next time it'll be more than a shove."

She turned her back on her cousin and picked up Claire, quickly walking away.


	42. Chapter 41 - Recipe (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 41 – Recipe (Jacob)**

It was rare that both Jacob and Bella had a day off and didn't have something else to do, but today seemed to be one of those rare days.

He was planning on telling Bella about the property purchase but he couldn't help but be worried about her. He'd seen her run to the restroom already three times that morning.

"Breakfast's ready," she shouted from the front of the house.

He headed to the front of the house to find the table set with french toast, scrambled eggs, and – he narrowed his eyes – vegan bacon. The french toast was covered in an off-white colored cream, lemon cream, and sliced strawberries on top. His brows knitted together.

He'd seen Bella make that breakfast a ton of times over the years. He enjoyed it actually – minus the fake bacon – but Bella hated anything to do with lemons and the only time she  _ever_  made it was when she was pregnant.

"Bella?" he asked, his voice hesitant.

"What?" She looked over from the kitchen counter to him and then followed his gaze to the table. She shrugged. "I know, I normally only make it when I'm pregnant. I'm not. I  _know_  I'm not. I was checked at the doctors less than two weeks ago and the test came back negative. The last time I was with anyone was you, the night of our five year anniversary and I guess the test might not have picked it up at that point as it would have only been four days prior... But even if I was pregnant from that, I wouldn't be far along enough now to have any  _cravings_. I'm just in a weird mood, I guess."

"Okay... is weird synonymous with bad?" He didn't know what to make of her statement. In all the time that he'd been with her, he'd never seen her make that meal when she wasn't pregnant.

"No, not bad, just weird." She shrugged and headed over to the table.

He quickly made his way to the table and sat across from her.

"So..." They both started the same way at about the same exact moment. They stopped to look at her.

"You first," Bella said, flourishing her hand at him.

"Since you're just in a weird mood, maybe this will give you something to feel good – or at least halfway decent – about. I've bought a property on the outskirts of town. Well it won't be finalized for about a month, but it's in the process of being bought. It's big enough to build that restaurant you want and the garage I want, though it's going to take a little bit of work to get there..." Actually a massive amount of work, but that was a minor detail. "Now what were you going to say?"

Bella's eyes widened slightly and she didn't reply immediately. Finally she said, "It doesn't matter."


	43. Chapter 42 - To Be A Fly (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Two quick things with this chapter. First and foremost, I want to say that Seth's emotional state about being gay in no way reflects my personal opinion on the subject. There is nothing wrong with being gay, or any sexuality really. Sadly though it is a very real struggle that many people to this day suffer with coming to terms with, especially if their born into families where they're taught it's wrong. If you yourself feel that way then please know that it is not wrong to be yourself.
> 
> On another note, I have spent hours (I am not exaggerating here) on the Peninsula College website trying to determine their opinion on professor/student relationships. Nearest I can tell, the school does not have a policy against it. That being said, is it truly and/or morally correct? I know where I stand on it, but that's ultimately up to you.

**Chapter 42 – To Be A Fly (Seth)**

He wanted to get the painting he was working on done, which was the only reason he'd taken the afternoon off from his shift as the barista. He still wasn't certain that the swearing out he'd been given by his boss had been worth it, but the painting was important to him and getting one of the art rooms to himself was something that was practically unheard of.

He'd made the sensitive tempera paints from dyes he's made out of leftover fruits and veggies all by himself. It was a more advanced technique than the class he was taking dictated but he  _wanted_ to do it. For him, art was his greatest passion... even if it wasn't his greatest obsession.

The piece he was painting was both massive and basic all in one. The large canvas was five feet high and eight feet wide, and the entirety of the painting focused on a wall. There was a window in the wall, a water stain at the top, a baseboard at the bottom, and one  _singular_ fly on the wall. The fly was larger than normal to allow him to focus every singular detail into it – from the delicate veins in the wing, to the individual facets in the eyes, to the hairs on the legs – though the fly was still only about a two and a half inch spec on the bigger piece.

The art used a giant amount of  _negative space_  – the wall – and then had only a few minor details to make it a solid piece of work.

It was the type of art, that if he wasn't doing it for a class, would likely either make or break his career. Realistically, it still had that kind of potential.

The sound of the door creaking open broke his concentration just as he went to dip the single horse hair brush into his black pain so he could add another vein into one of the wings.

He looked toward the door to see Garrett standing there.

"You weren't at the coffee shop," Garrett said as he shut the door.

Seth swallowed. "I had to get my project done. Homemade tempera paints have a limited lifespan."

"I didn't know you were in advanced painting," Garrett murmured as he stepped closer to Seth's project.

"I'm not, I'm in intro to painting. I'll move on to intermediate painting in the spring, then probably do advanced painted next fall." Seth couldn't help but tense up as the professor came closer to him.

Garrett looked at the painting for a minute before speaking, "A fly on the wall. Interesting subject matter. I'm more of the spider in the corner type myself, though."

Seth swallowed again and put his palette down on the table with his brush.

He turned to look at Garrett. "Is there something I can help you with, professor?"

Garrett was staring at the painting and didn't respond immediately. He walked a little ways away, going towards one of the giant widows that faced the back of the school. "You haven't called. I thought for sure you would."

He couldn't help but stare at Garrett's back. "Is there a reason you want me to call, professor?"

He could see in the reflection from the glass as Garrett smiled. "I think you know exactly why."

Of course Seth knew. Even before Garrett had moved out of Forks, he'd been one of only a handful of openly gay men, and Seth wasn't stupid. He knew how strange it was that Garrett came and ordered the same thing every single day. Especially when the mocha latte was usually only about two thirds finished and usually only about half of one biscotti was ate. Besides, in spite of Seth's best efforts to not look at Garrett... he wasn't very successful.

"I am quite certain that I have no clue what you're talking about," Seth finally replied trying to will himself to turn back to his painting and stop staring.

It wasn't working though.

"Really? Would you like for me to spell it out for you then?"

Seth shook his head and then nodded. He wasn't sure that Garrett could see him in the reflection of the glass, but he couldn't have answered Garrett's question even if he wanted to as his mouth felt completely dry all of a sudden.

Garrett's smile widened in the reflection of the glass. "Call me and you'll find out."

He turned and strode back to the door without even glancing at Seth.

Once Garrett left, Seth moved over to the upper right corner and started to paint a spiderweb.


	44. Chapter 43 - Seattle (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 43 – Seattle (Emmett)**

_**August 10th, 2011** _

Per the plane ticket that Rosalie had given him, the flight left at seven pm, but he wasn't in Seattle to go with Rosalie... even if he did have a packed suitcase in the bed of his truck. It was purely coincidence that it was there.

He always kept an overnight bag in his truck... if he'd taken it out a little over three months ago and only repacked the clothes from it in a suitcase – along with half a dozen other sets of clothes – just last night and put it back in his truck... well, that was also pure coincidence.

He wasn't going to New York with Rosalie. Maybe if she'd asked him to go in person, or if she'd at least called he'd go. But she'd merely left a letter, no, a note for him in his cruiser like some shadow in the night.

And the fact that the ticket for the flight was in his glove box was merely happenstance.

He was only in Seattle to see his big brother.

He pulled up out front of Garrett's two bedroom house and got out of his truck, grabbing the "care package" out of the back before heading to the door.

His truck was loud enough that Garrett was at his door by the time he'd walked up the drive.

"I heard you'd been under the weather the last couple of days. You called Jasper instead of me. That's seriously uncool, man."

"You worry like a mama with a bunch of ugly ducklings. It's just a summer cold," Garrett groused.

He glowered at his big brother for a minute before holding up the insulated carrier with the container inside. "I brought matzoh ball soup for you. Your favorite."

"If you made it, I don't want it."

Emmett scowled. "I am not  _that_ bad."

"The last time I visited you, you tried to make  _top ramen_ and almost burned your kitchen down, Emmett."

Emmett rolled his eyes. "Well, don't worry, I got Bella to make it."

Garrett's eyes lit up. "Come on in then." He stepped out of the doorway.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A few quick notes. First, I meant to post this last night, but something personal happened and I had to deal with that instead. Also, I've gone through and made a few very small updates on the prolegomenon of this book, it's mostly unnoticeable, but I needed to correct a couple of minor errors. Finally, personally I think Emmett doth protest too much about what he's not there for.


	45. Chapter 44 - Hell (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 44 – In Hell (Edward)**

He'd been at the rehab facility for a week. It was a week of pure, unadulterated hell. There was maybe a dozen or so other people currently at the small center and some part of him realized that he was fairing better than about half of them that were there – people that were screaming or crying through the nights as they went through withdrawal.

Edward hadn't had to go through heavy withdrawal as the week he'd been in a coma he'd been on some sort of liquid drip that had been an anti withdrawal drug. His problem was far deeper than withdrawal though.

In a clean rehab center, there was no escape to be found from the memories that plagued both his days and his nights. He couldn't remember the last time he'd gotten more than fifteen minutes of sleep in a single setting. It was impossible for him to sleep peacefully with the torture caused by far too many bad memories.

Still, the worst hell he dealt with wasn't the hell from his memories. It was the hell caused by the asshole sitting in front of him. He hated the man, the doctor – psychologist or psychiatrist, he wasn't sure which – that went by the name of Carlisle Masen.

"Why are you here, Edward?"

It was the same question that Carlisle asked him every single session. It was a very annoying question.

"Because Rosalie made me come here."

"Then why haven't you paid for a taxi and left already?"

"I don't have any money on me and the doors are locked at night when I might actually be able to make an escape." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"There are dozens of ways to escape if you were really motivated to do that. You must know that. So why are you really here?"

"Because Bella needs me to get better."

"And why is that important to you?"

He scowled. "It just is."

"Not good enough. Why are you really here?"

"For Bella's sake."

Carlisle sighed. "We're getting nowhere and my wife is leading a group session in five minutes in the main room. We'll pick this up tomorrow."

Edward got up from his seat, as he muttered, "Ask some different questions next time."

He happened to glance at Carlisle just before he turned to walk away and saw Carlisle fighting a smile.

He left the room. "Hell. Definitely hell."


	46. Chapter 45 - Checklist (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 45 – Checklist (Rosalie)**

She stepped into her office in Seattle, though it was more her assistant's office than her own anymore. It had been that way for the last three years, ever since she'd moved back to Forks from Seattle after her father had died.

"Maggie," Rosalie said by way of greeting.

"Everything is on schedule. I thought you might be bringing your sister along after you requested for me to buy that extra plane ticket, but she isn't with you."

"It's not for her. I don't know if the person I gave it to is even going to show."

Maggie's eyes lit up. "Oh, is it Tanya?"

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Tanya has a full schedule, Maggie. I think she's supposed to be in something like four more movies before the end of the year. It's someone else. You don't need to worry yourself about it. Are all models already in New York for everything?"

Maggie tapped on the screen of her computer several times. "Per our on-site coordinator, Liam, everyone is there except Corrine, who is flying in tonight from London. The triplets, Senna, Kachiri, and Zafrina arrived three days ago. Liam still thinks you should put them in the leopard prints that you decided to remove from the show."

"Well I don't pay Liam to think. I pay him to coordinate, and using three robust African Americans to show off that type of clothes is in bad taste."

Maggie typed out something on her computer, probably an email to Liam. "There's something else you should know, Siobhan showed up to model. She's insisting on being part of the team."

"I thought you were going to take care of her." Rosalie clenched her fists together.

"I offered her the settlement we discussed. I even increased it by twenty percent. I thought she was going to take it, but she's decided she wants to come back to work or she's going to sue. It's not going to be that big of a problem. She's a good model. You know she is."

"If you consider refusing to obey basic orders, standoffish, demanding, and unfriendly to everyone as the makings of a good model."

"Fine." Maggie's voice was exasperated. "She looks good on the runway and you know it."

Rosalie sighed, shaking her head. "The clothes are all there, already?"

"Yes, that's correct."

"And the photographers?"

"I've hired two of the best photographers for the photo shoot portion of fashion week. They're already in New York with everyone else."

"Good, I'm glad to hear it."

"So who's coming to New York with us, anyways? Maria perhaps? Or Kate? Or is it your aunt, Irina?"

"Stop guessing. You'll find out if the person shows."

"Oh, is it Alice? I  _love_ Alice."

"Stop guessing."

There was nothing else said for a couple of minutes as Maggie continued to work at her computer.

"Is it a guy?" Maggie finally asked super slyly.

Rosalie stiffened for a moment, before responding, "You know I don't date."


	47. Chapter 46 - Take Away (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 46 – Take Away (Emmett)**

"Are you sure it's just a summer cold?"

Garrett had barely been able to eat the soup after Emmett had heated it up in his older brother's microwave. It was Garrett's favorite, from their grandmother's old recipe, and convincing Bella to make it had been a pain in the ass.

"Yeah, I'm sure. It's just got me in the dumps is all. And you are mothering me far more than usual."

Emmett scowled at his brother. "I do not mother you."

"Yes, you do. You have since you moved in with me when you were sixteen, bro. I keep having to remind you that I'm six years your senior, but it never seems to stick with you."

"It's not like our mother knew how to do it."

"She did the best she could when she was raising us."

He and Garrett never agreed on that point. "Really? She kicked you out of the house when you were fourteen. She was probably days away from kicking me out when I left at sixteen."

"It's hard to be a single mom working two jobs, Em."

"Then maybe she shouldn't have run our dad over with a car."

"That was never proven."

"Who else could have done it? Irina? She's not that kind of woman."

Emmett had only been five when Irina had moved to Forks from Tacoma with a four year old boy by the name of Jasper. She'd shown up at their house because she thought that Jasper should get to know his older brothers. Emmett still remembered the screaming match between his mom and his dad after Irina left. Four days later their father had been killed in a hit and run.

"As far as we know it could have been anyone. That's why it's an unsolved cold case."

Emmett glowered at this big brother.

"But yes, more than likely our mom did it," Garrett said and then shrugged. "It's our dad's own fault if she did. Our mother's temper has always matched her hair."

Emmett remembered next to nothing about their father, James, but it was true that their mother, Victoria, had a hell of a fiery temper. At least she had the last time he'd spoken to her... thirteen years ago.

"Why are you here anyways, Emmett? Aside from this strange desire to mother me? One would swear you were the gay one of the two of us."

Emmett scowled at his brother again. "Rosalie is leaving for New York in about an hour... she invited me to come along, sort of..."

"And you're at my place why then?"

"You're sick. I wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Okay, you've made sure and I'm completely fine, just a little under the weather. Now why haven't you left for the airport already?"

"I'm not going."

"Emmett McCartney Whitlock you have been head over heels in love with that girl for thirteen years, so why the hell are you here?"

Emmett flinched at the sound of his full name. His middle name was supposed to have been McCarty, the maiden name of his grandmother, but the nurse who filled out his birth certificate had heard McCartney instead – obviously a Beatles fan. They could have gotten it corrected after the fact, but his mother had decided it was funny.

"She only left me a note... it's not like she actually asked me. I don't want to be in some sort of semi relationship. If she can't meet me at least part of the way... I can't do it."

"Emmett, if she's trying at all then she's doing more than she ever has before. And if it isn't enough than you go and convince her why it should be more. I know if it was me... I'd fly to the moon if that was what the person asked of me."

"You've met someone? Or are you still hung up on Randal?"

"Yeah... I've met someone, sort of. He's a bit gun shy though. I keep hoping for him to call. He might now that he hasn't seen me for a couple of days."

Emmett's mind put two and two together to get four. "My god, Garrett, are you going after a  _student_?"

Garrett scowled this time, it made Emmett's scowl look downright unimpressive. "It's perfectly legal, Emmett."

"Legal or not..." Emmett didn't finish his thought, just shook his head.

Just then the cell phone on Garrett's living room table rang.

Garrett immediately reached forward and picked up the phone, his brow knitting together as he looked at it before finally answering. "Hello?"

There was a brief silence before Garrett spoke again. "Seth, it's good to hear from you. One moment, I need to shew away my little brother."

Emmett's frowned slightly, he  _knew_ that name.

Garrett looked at Emmett. "Go to the airport and get on that flight with Rosalie, Emmett. Do it or you will regret it for the rest of your life."

Emmett looked at his watch then shook his head. There was less than forty minutes until the flight was supposed to leave. It wasn't that far to the airport, but in rush hour traffic he probably wouldn't make it... besides he  _wasn't_  going.

"Emmett, if you don't go of your own free will, I'm gonna get off this couch and drive you to the airport myself. Summer cold of mine be dammed."

Emmett narrowed his eyes slightly. "Fine, I'll go."

He turned and headed to the door just as he heard Garrett say, "Seth, I'm so glad you've finally called."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Reviews are loved.


	48. Chapter 47 - Strange Conversation (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 47 – Strange Conversation (Seth)**

Ever since he started at the Peninsula College back in June for summer classes he'd seen Garrett every day at the Pirate Cove Cafe, at least until last week when he'd taken the day off of work to focus on his painting. Then this week Garrett hadn't shown up for the last two days. After his day of work today he'd checked with another teacher from the art department only to discover that Professor Whitlock had apparently been sick since the start of the week.

Seth was still at the school when he pulled out his cell phone and dialed the phone number he'd memorized from all the times he'd pulled it out of his wallet with the intent to throw it away.

"I'm just calling to make sure he's alright," Seth muttered under his breath as the phone started to ring.

After a few seconds a rough voice answered, "Hello?"

"Garrett, it's Seth."

"Seth, it's good to hear from you. One moment, I need to shew away my little brother."

Seth's brow furrowed, wondering which little brother it was, Emmett or Jasper?

Garrett was speaking away from the phone but he still picked up a few different words, "Rosalie," "do it," "drive," and "be damned."

He heard just enough to understand pretty much nothing, even the name of Rosalie didn't help him. It could still be either one of Garrett's brothers.

"Seth, I'm so glad you've finally called," Garrett finally said into the phone.

"I... well you haven't been to work for the last few days and I was worried. I just ah... wanted to make sure you're alright."

"Yeah, just feeling a little under the weather. Don't worry about it. What are you up to?"

"Just getting ready to head home from the college."

"Ah, too bad I'm not at my apartment today, I'd invite you over."

Seth's brow furrowed. "Where are you?"

"In Seattle, it was my grandparent's house. Emmett and I have joint ownership of it. I came up on Sunday to clean it up but that was when I started to feel under the weather so I haven't made it back to Port Angeles yet."

"Are you sure you're alright?" It didn't make sense to him that Garrett was too sick to come back to his own place and yet he practically was inviting him over.

"Yeah, I just had a bad couple of days. I'll be back to work tomorrow."

Seth was thoroughly confused. "Okay..."

"Look, I have your phone number now. I'll text you tomorrow, Seth. Maybe we can go out after you get off from work."

"Sure." Seth had barely uttered the word when the phone clicked off.


	49. Chapter 48 - White Lie (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 48 – White Lie (Emmett)**

He pulled into the Seattle-Tacoma International Airport with only a little more than twelves minutes until the flight was supposed to take off.

When he'd been eighteen, he'd flown to France for two months during the summer before he started college, at the time, he'd managed to get into the airport and on his flight within five minutes, but that had been before the two towers fell... Now, boarding flights was a completely different story.

So he did something he'd always sworn he'd never do as he pulled his spare badge out of the glove box along with the ticket before he got out of his truck and grabbed his suitcase from the back.

Then he headed to the entrance.

Once he was in the airport he sought out one of the officers with the TSA.

"Hey, My name's Emmett Whitlock, I'm the chief of police with Forks, I'm supposed to be on a flight for New York in about nine minutes. I have a warrant in my bag for extradition of a prisoner. I left Forks in plenty of time to get here, but traffic was horrible. I'm wondering if you can slip me through, just this once. A little help from one officer to another. If you need me to pull the warrant out, I can. It's buried in my clothes, though." He held up his badge as proof of who he was

The thing about the warrant was all lies, of course, but what the TSA agent didn't know... wouldn't hurt him.

The agent looked at his bag for a minute, probably considering if it would be worth the effort to see said warrant, before finally glancing at the lines waiting to go through the security.

"Okay... but just this once. We're not supposed to do this type of stuff."

Emmett watched as the agent unbuckled a rope fence that allowed him to go around all the lines.

He stepped through and then started the mad dash to the terminal for his flight with Rosalie.

He knew he was no longer able to lie to himself about why he'd really come to Seattle.


	50. Chapter 49 - Doubt (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 49 – Doubt (Rosalie)**

They hadn't even taken off yet and she already felt nauseous. There was less than five minutes until the flight was supposed to take off. She wasn't surprised that Emmett still hadn't arrived.

In spite of his words suggesting otherwise, he was a player and she'd always known it. He didn't know how to keep that thing between his legs in his pants. It was why she'd never wanted to date him to begin with. Well... and he was a cop. She'd already lost one person she loved to the line of duty.

She still remembered the call from Deputy Mark after father had been shot down, and the frantic drive home she'd made with tears streaming down her face. She may not have cried over her drunkard mother, but it had been another story entirely when her father had passed. After she'd moved back into her father's house in Forks, she'd been the most vocal opponent about Emmett taking over as chief of police instead of one of the older deputies. After all, even when she'd been living in Seattle, she was aware of Emmett's sexcapades.

Emmett was hot, had brilliant wit, was funny as hell, knew how to listen, and oozed sex appeal. Not to mention he was good at laying it down... but the problem was that he  _knew_ all of it. And he used all of it like he was a gift from god.

Of course, most of that was what attracted her to him. He was confident and he wore it like a glove. He was her type of guy... at least he would be if he wasn't a player.

And the fact that he wasn't here –

"Hello Rosalie," Emmett's voice said softly.

She snapped her head toward the aisle as she opened her eyes. "Emmett." She glanced at her watch to see there was only two minutes left until they were supposed to take off. "Drawing it a little close, aren't you?"

He gave her a wide boyish smile that tempted her to giggle. She  _was not_  a giggler.

"Probably for the best. We might have gotten in trouble with flight attendants if I'd gotten here any earlier." He waggled his eyebrows at her as he sat down in the aisle seat next to hers.

She was so tempted to look three seats up since she could practically feel Maggie staring a hole in the side of her head. Stubbornly, she kept her eyes on Emmett instead.

"Oh? And why would we have gotten in trouble with the flight attendants?"

He leaned over and whispered directly into her ear.

A moment later she threw her head back and laughed, her nausea completely forgotten.

Then an announcement came over the jet to fasten their seat belts and please listen to the flight attendants as they went over safety regulations.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: A couple quick notes. Firstly, a post will be added to the Cut-takes later tonight (or possibly tomorrow at the latest) with a part of Garrett's story. Secondly, I have both a twitter account and a facebook account to annotate my updates to my stories and my blog. My twitter is JadionaR or facebook is Jadiona Noish. People can follow/friend me on either.


	51. Chapter 50 - Renewal (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 50 – Renewal (Bella)**

_**August 11th, 2011** _

She shut her eyes briefly as a wave of nausea hit her. It was the same nausea that she'd had since Edward had gone into his coma. The constant sickness had finally made her call her general doctor for an appointment that morning. Her appointment was scheduled for the middle of November. The nurse who'd scheduled the appointment said if she was really sick than she should go to the ER.

Bella wasn't going to spend several hours in the ER, because of some minor anxiety sickness though. She figured if she could manage her anxiety she could get over the illness that was plaguing her which was why she needed to tell Jacob she wanted a divorce. She needed to rip it off like the band-aid it was, but he was so excited and talking about the property he bought almost every night. It made her hesitant to bring it up.

She folded the second cheese, ham, and egg omelet and pushed it on to the second plate. She took over the two omelets to the table where the bacon banana-nut muffins she'd woken up at the crack of dawn to make were already sitting in the middle of the table.

Jacob came out of the bedroom and looked at the spread on the table which also included fresh pressed orange juice and bowls of mixed fruit.

"Wow, you're really spoiling me lately, Bells."

She shrugged.

"Jake... we, ah, need to talk."

"Okay, what do you want to talk about?"

"You know... we've both said and done regrettable things..."

Suddenly Jake grabbed her hands in his. "Let's get married."

It took her half a moment for his words to sink in. "Jake, we're already married."

"No, I'm serious. Let's get remarried or renew our vows or whatever the hell it's called. There was a time when everything was right between us... and I know a lot of the issues stemmed from my mistakes, but there was a time when Edward was just your friend and Leah was just my wayward ex step-sister. Let's go back to that. Let's try this again. Start over."

"Sue and Billy were never actually married..." It was the only thing she could think to say to his words.

"Only because the state of Washington doesn't have common law." He glared at her for a moment and then he shook his head. "That's not the point I'm trying to make. There was a point in my life when I wasn't  _jealous_  of Edward being your friend. There was a time when we were happy. And like you said, we've both done regrettable things but we don't need to keep doing it. Let's just try to do this right this time around."

"Jake... we can't just rewind the last five years. Or at least the last three." She pulled her hands out of his and stepped away.

"I know, and I know it won't be perfect. It'll take time for us to get back to perfect, but let's try. Let's say to hell with the odds and the doubters and all of it and go back to being us."

"Okay..." The word was out of her mouth before her mind fully had a chance to consult with her on it.

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay. I mean yes, let's get our vows renewed. Let's try." She couldn't help but wonder as she said it if they could actually pull it off or if it would just be another in a long line of mistakes.


	52. Chapter 51 - Bad Service (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 51 – Bad Service (Leah)**

She was seriously pissed off after waking up to a  _text_  from Jacob stating he wasn't going to call her anymore and that she should be faithful to Seth. She supposed it was a good thing he  _hadn't_  called to tell her, because if he had she totally would have blurted her fiance's secret.

It was why she was going to call Gianna and Caius after work and hopefully be able to drive to their place in Port Angeles. She didn't care if they filmed it and posted it online like last time... in all honesty, she was half hoping they would.

"There are people waiting for you to take their orders, Leah," Bob shouted.

The voice of her boss shouting at her made Leah roll her eyes. "I'm going."

She headed out to the service area, seeing a couple of new customers at tables and a family at one of the booths.

She headed to the first table where Felix Virtuoso sat, a local attorney who was almost as much of a lady's man as Emmett – though his exploits were much better hidden.

"What do you want?" She ground out.

"No "Welcome to The Lodge" or "May I take your order?" Come now, Leah."

Leah wasn't in the mood for Felix's charm. "How's this? My name for the day is Kiss My Ass. Now what the fuck do you want to eat? I already know you want a whiskey and coke."

He chuckled. "I'll have the double bacon cheeseburger and a side salad with the raspberry vinaigrette."

She jotted it down on her order pad and then flipped to the next page as she walked over to the next table where Lizzie Reed was sitting – the woman she'd had a one night stand with in the park about eight months ago.

"Lizzie, what would you like?" Her words were slightly more cordial with Lizzie than Felix, but her voice was no less aggravated.

"Can I get the Cobb Salad and a strawberry lemonade?"

She jotted it down and glanced over at the booth where Eric and Katie Yorkie sat with their three kids. After a moment of contemplation she turned her back on the booth and headed over to the kitchen window to deposit the two orders she'd so far taken and then headed towards the back door.

"I'm taking a ten minute smoke break," she shouted at her boss just before exiting.

She still heard his indignant reply before the door fully shut behind her.

"You don't smoke!"

She did today... only she wasn't smoking cigarettes. She pulled out the joint she'd rolled before she left home. Her joint had dried peyote in it – not marijuana.

She lit it up and brought it to her mouth.


	53. Chapter 52 - History (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 52 – History (Jasper)**

"Jasper, I'm  _fine_." Alice stubbornly crossed her arms over her chest.

He  _hated_  that word. It was her go to word every single time she didn't want to talk about certain things. "Alice Cynthia Whitlock."

She flinched as he used her full name. "Okay. They're a little sore. I don't need any pain meds though."

He frowned at her. She'd refused to go to the hospital after getting glass embedded in her feet, so he'd pulled the pieces out with tweezers and cleaned the wounds with hydrogen peroxide, but he'd missed a few pieces of glass which he hadn't known and it had taken three days before he found out – and only then because she fell suddenly and couldn't get back up on her own. He'd forced her to go to the hospital then and he knew how lucky they both were she hadn't ended up with something like blood poisoning or gangrene.

He checked his watch. He needed to get going if he was going to make his appointment but he was loathe to leave his Little Miss when he was certain she wasn't being completely honest with him.

She sighed. "Go, Jasper. I've got three websites to work on and hundreds of emails to answer. I promise I won't move off this couch until you get back." She reached forward and grabbed her laptop off of the coffee table, cradling it in her lap.

He sighed and left the house, heading to his SUV so he could go to an appointment with his psychologist. His plan was to talk about the harm he'd accidentally caused to Alice though he knew his doctor would want to talk about what flashback he'd been stuck in.

The thing was, he couldn't tell his doctor. Unfortunately, there were a lot of things he couldn't talk to anyone about... except Peter, but he hadn't spoke to his brother in arms since they'd got back. They'd been the only two who had survived from his platoon. Years later and he still wondered if they'd all been completely blind or what exactly had really happened.

His platoon of twenty men and three women turned out to have two insurgents in their ranks, including their sergeant, Joham. Joham had led them on a supposed aide mission of a small village. It turned out though he was really leading them to a trap. They'd all been captured and slowly they'd been tortured and killed. The other insurgent, Nahuel, made a mistake when torturing him and it gave him a chance to get free and save Peter's life.

After hot-wiring a vehicle, he'd drove them off only to hit a landmine. He'd fared better than Peter had, severe damage to his back and pain that never went away, but Peter had lost a leg to the explosion.

When they'd ended up back in the states they were told in no uncertain terms that they're time in the army had been washed. They're records were so deeply sealed that not even president would ever see them. They were dishonorably discharged, officially listed as AWOL for their last year of service, and they were not allowed to tell  _anyone_  of what had been done to them.

The secret of the shame of their service would die with them. He hated it, he hated the government for it, and he completely understood why it had to be the way it was – which made him hate himself.

He banged his head on the steering wheel of his vehicle before starting it up and backing it out of the drive


	54. Chapter 53 - Drop Trou (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 53 – Drop Trou (Rosalie)**

Emmett had stayed at the hotel, citing a need to sleep after his attempt to get her to play hooky and join him in his hotel room had failed.

She couldn't quite help but wonder if he'd been joking yesterday evening on the plane or not.

She could recall his whispered words to her perfectly.  _"I know you love fashion so I thought we could talk about my personal favorite fashion type – lingerie... and when I happened to mention I have on lingerie for men I'm sure you would have asked to see. I'm pretty dropping trou in the middle of a plane would definitely garner ill advised attention."_

For the life of her, Rosalie just couldn't see Emmett wearing a thong or pouch suspenders... but the thought at the time had made her laugh harder than she had in the long time. Still, she couldn't help but be curious as to if he hadn't been messing with her... and if that was the case than what exactly he'd been wearing.

Unfortunately, she wasn't in New York for a vacation, she was here for work. It was why she was going through all the plans, props, and clothes...

"What the hell?" Rosalie snarled the words as she looked at the rack of what was supposed to be all  _her design_.

All her new designs were there, but at the end of the rack of clothes were three pieces she'd never seen before. One was a suit like dress in a dour black, another a two piece set in a shade of blue which was better suited for spring, and finally an orange monstrosity that she was relatively sure was supposed to be some sort of dress... or possibly a romper... or even a swimsuit.

"Umm, I don't know." Maggie looked down at her clipboard where a list of the fashion which was supposed to be on the rack was typed out. She muttered something unintelligible under her breath, making her long curly red hair shake. Finally she looked up and swung her head around. "LIAM!"

The sharp staccato of Maggie's voice as she shouted Liam's name in such a way it practically sounded like a single syllable made Rosalie smile. Maggie was a good assistant, the best really, and if Rosalie was going to raise the baby she was carrying and possibly even have a life with Emmett she would need Maggie to step up and take an even larger role in her company – her ability to shout with the best of them was a good start.

Rosalie shook her head suddenly, not at all sure where the thought had come from.

Liam, a tall man of almost six and a half feet with a slender build and strange gray-brown colored hair, came up to them.

"What are these?" Maggie asked, pointing at the last three items on the rack.

Liam refused to meet Maggie or Rosalie's eyes. "I think Siobhan made those, she said she approved it with you to let them be shown..." His voice trailed off weakly.

Siobhan. The woman was proving to be the bane of Rosalie's existence. She was going to find the woman and strangle her to death for even  _attempting_ to ruin her show. "Do I  _ever_  allow other people's designs to grace my rack? Let alone sub par fashion that belongs at the bottom of a Ross clearance bin?"

"But... I thought maybe, given what happened and all..."

"What do I pay you for, Liam?" She cut him off scathingly.

"To coordinate your shows," he replied immediately.

"Another words you select what model uses which outfits, order who goes out first, second and so on, and you guarantee there are people available to help the models change outfits in a rush. Does any of that require you to think?" She didn't give him a chance to answer. "Before you mess that up, the answer is no. I think, Maggie thinks, and occasionally my head of production thinks. You aren't any of those. So do what I pay you for. Or you can get a new job."

She yanked the three outfits off the rack and shoved them into Maggie's arms. "Get rid of them. And her. I don't care what it takes. I don't care if she decides to sue, I just want her gone. She is not going to model in my show again."

Six months ago Siobhan had worn a pair of five-inch stilettos on the spring line fashion. The fashion show had been outdoors and it had started to rain halfway through. Siobhan had slipped and fell, breaking her ankle in the process. The shoes she had worn had not been part of the show and were not approved – it had been Siobhan's own mocking rebellion towards Rosalie – but since Liam had let her go on the catwalk with them on the accident technically was Rosalie's responsibility.

"I'll get it done," Maggie said.

"Good. I'm going back to the hotel. I'm playing hooky for the rest of the day." She'd decided Emmett had the right idea after all. Maybe she could get him to  _drop trou_  in his hotel room.

She turned her back on Maggie's flabbergasted face and walked away.


	55. Chapter 54 - Journaling (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So I've had opportunities to talk to people in the past who have actually gone through rehab, and the general consensus with most people I've talked to is you hit rock bottom before you can truly start to work you're way out of it. This chapter is just starting to show some of that descent.

**Chapter 54 – Journaling (Edward)**

According to Esme Masen, Carlisle's wife – as well as another doctor of some sort of mental health capacity – journaling was supposed to help curve the cravings. The general idea was if he could keep his mind busy then he wouldn't feel the need for another hit. It was all a lie though, his mind was always busy, it was a large part of his problem. If he could get his mind to shut up without the drugs than he wouldn't take them.

Besides, he didn't know what to journal  _about_.

Was he supposed to write what it felt like to be raped by the man who was supposed to raise him and care for him? Was he supposed to note the startling pain of being burned? Was he supposed to document the nauseating smells of leather, smoke and sweat? Or was he supposed to record how every single time he looked in a mirror all he saw was a reflection of the devil incarnate staring back at him? How was he ever put  _any_   _of that_  on paper? What would someone think if they knew how bleak of a place his mind really was?

Perhaps it would be better if he wrote down exactly how everything that happened was his fault... He shook his head, reminding himself he  _wasn't_  at fault. The problem was it's what he'd been told for the entirety of the time he lived in his father's household. Even though Bella had spent hours pointing out how wrong it was... it was hard for him to move away from the thought process which had been ingrained into him.

Finally, he put his pencil to the notebook he'd been given to write in.

_There have been times in the past – and even now – when I've often wondered if it would be easier to die... if I'd be better off dead. The thing is it wouldn't really fix anything. I still would have gone through too many years of torment. My sister would still have gone through much the same. Would my sister's story have fared the same if the doctors had fought to save my mother's life instead of mine? Or would she have grown up in a loving household the way she'd deserved?_

He stopped writing. By all account from what he'd heard from aunts and uncles, as well as other people, his father had been a devoted and loving husband who doted on Elizabeth with continual gifts of flowers, jewelry, and chocolate. Everyone claimed it was his parents' happiest day when they discovered they were pregnant. Of course, those same people never noticed what was happening to Alice and him, so what did they really know?

He put his pencil down because he knew he couldn't write his next thought, because in truth... it would have been better had Alice and him never even been born.


	56. Chapter 55 - Bella Italia (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 55 – Bella Italia (Seth)**

Garrett didn't actually call or text him, instead he handed him a note when he came to the university cafe to place his normal order. A note which gave Seth a location – a restaurant he had never been to before – and a time only about twenty minutes after he got off.

He was now at that restaurant,  _Bella Italia_ , sitting in a back table by himself. He'd expected Garrett to be there by the time he got there, but Garrett wasn't. Instead when Seth arrived and he said that he was supposed to be meeting Garrett, the maitre d led him to a table at the back of the restaurant.

He wasn't sure what to do. He didn't go to fancy Italian restaurants where appetizers cost over ten dollars a plate, main courses in excess of twenty dollars a plate, and the average wine over fifty dollars a bottle. He certainly couldn't afford to pay for anything.

It was why he almost jumped out of his skin when a waitress who was probably in her mid to late twenties with short black hair and bright blue highlights stepped over to his table with two plates of food, sitting them down. "Here's the bruschetta and antipasto assortito that was ordered."

"I didn't order this."

"The person who called in the reservation ordered them at the time."

"Oh, okay."

"My name's Amber, is there something you'd like to drink while you wait?"

"Perhaps a coke?"

"I'll be right back with that." She left quickly.

The smells of the food on the table made his stomach growl, but he wasn't sure what to do. He knew he couldn't afford the food – and yet it was already ordered.

The waitress brought the soda back and then left just as quickly as she put the soda down.

He took a sip of the soda as he closed his eyes. He tried to ignore the fragrant smells but was failing miserably. Finally, his hand reached forward for one of the pieces of bruschetta. He pulled his hand back at the last second.

"Take one, the pops of garlic and tomato over an extremely fine olive oil on carefully toasted bread is simply to die for."

Seth had been so focused on trying to not eat the food he hadn't noticed Garrett as he came up. Seth flinched and blushed furiously, looking up at him as he came the rest of the way over to the table.

"You don't have to be embarrassed, Seth," Garrett said as he took his seat across from him. "Maybe you would have been more comfortable with Micky D's for our first date, but we're far less likely to be seen together at a place like this. I have this feeling you aren't out yet." His hand reached out and gently stroked Seth's cheek. "I don't want you to do something you aren't yet ready to."

"I'm not sure what to do here." Seth barely uttered the words, but it was quiet enough in the back corner Garrett was sure to pick it up.

"I know it can be intimidating –" there was a distinct enough pause it made Seth certain Garrett was talking about more than what he continued with "– ordering food like this, especially if you've never been to a place like this before. Let me place the order for you. I promise I won't steer you wrong."

Seth swallowed. "Okay."

Just then the waitress came over and sat a bottle of Allegrini Soave Classico on the table along with a glass.

"He'd like the chicken breast saltimbocca and I'd like the cioppino. Also, bring out a second wine glass." He put something in the waitress's hand as he said the last part, his eyes never leaving Seth's.


	57. Chapter 56 - A Start (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 56 – A Start (Emmett)**

The hotel he was in was not the type of hotel he'd ever go to normally. The hotel was in a chateauesque style mansion with bright open windows, round arched doorways, marble tables, Victorian and Edwardian furnishings and so much more. It was positively  _Frenchy_ and he was completely uncomfortable being in it.

It was only his first day in New York and he was already losing it. The first few hours in the hotel hadn't been too bad, but now he was now going stir-crazy. She'd stated in the note that she was going for business and yet he'd thought, or at least hoped, since he'd come along she'd want to spend time with him. After all, what could be so pressing that it couldn't be put off until tomorrow? He'd been smart enough not to ask  _that_  question aloud, at least. He knew Rosalie's career was her life, truly he did, he just didn't get what the the big deal was... After all, it was just clothes.

He could have gone with her wherever she was going. He actually probably should have as he was bored out of his mind in a hotel room by himself with a room service menu in a language he couldn't read – even though he had spent two months in France. Actually, if he was being completely honest, he shouldn't have come to New York at all. He didn't know why he did it. He loved her and he knew he'd do just about anything for Rosalie, but the thing was, she didn't even recognize him, not really.

He still wasn't even a hundred percent sure why she'd asked him along.

If she'd done it to prove they lived in two very different worlds and weren't truly compatible than he already knew that. Unfortunately for him, the heart wants what it wants, and his heart wanted her. She was sophisticated and high class with a knowledge of the finer things in life, while he was crude, sarcastic and down home – black silk boxers and all.

He had no idea when Rosalie was going to get back from her day of work though she'd left very early in the morning – some god awful hour like eight, which was really about five in his mind. Stupid time difference between Washington and New York. It was now going on into the late evening and he was relatively certain the woman she'd come with... Margaret or Magdeline or something like that, had arrived back at the hotel a couple hours ago – not that he'd been looking out the peephole in his door every few minute or anything – but Rosalie was still gone.

Emmett was starving but he wasn't really the type for fancy wine sauces, muscles, white beans, or eggs and spinach in a pie crust... okay, maybe he remembered French a little better than he tended to let on. He still wasn't about to order something like cassoulet or bouillabaisse. Besides, the room service had already closed for the night. He supposed he'd order the quiche tomorrow as it at least sort of resembled traditional food.

Then... he didn't know what he'd do. As he'd told Garrett, he couldn't be the only one willing to give this relationship a shot. He deserved better than that. Maybe he'd catch a flight home tomorrow, he truly wasn't sure.

The knock on his door startled him from his thoughts.

He went over and opened it without looking out the peephole first. Rosalie stood on the other side of the door with two giant pizza boxes in her hands.

"I heard you didn't eat today."

"What? How?" He was sure his eyes and ears were deceiving him. Firstly, she was at  _his door_ , and secondly, because of the  _pizzas_  – the giant pizzas. The boxes had to be at least two foot square. And third, how could she know if he hadn't ate?

"When one rents out an entire floor of a hotel the management is more than willing to tell them things they might not otherwise say. I don't know anyone who doesn't like pizza." He didn't know what to say when she paused and finally she asked, "So... are you going to let me in or not? I'm not sharing my pizza with you if you don't."

He stepped to the side so she could come in to his hotel room.

She came in and instead of placing the pizza boxes on the table or the desk she sat them on the bed before getting on the bed herself. "The first time I ever came to this hotel I was six. I came with my aunt, Irina, and my cousin, Jasper. This was before I was aware of having a little sister. Irina had to come to New York to oversee the filming of a fashion commercial and she brought me along – though convincing my dad to let me come was a miracle in and of itself. He believed New York was too dangerous. Irina couldn't take Jasper and I with her to the film studio, so she left us in this hotel. Jasper and I found an old closed over dumb waiter and we rode down to the basement in it – where they keep the wine which we naturally got into." She shook her head. "You should have seen how angry Irina was at us afterwards." She laughed and proceeded to open one of the boxes where what looked be a traditional cheese pizza had been ruined by having spinach and red onion on top. She pushed the other box towards where Emmett was still standing.

"New York style pizzas are normally only about eighteen inches wide, but these are little bit bigger. Still New York style though. Also, I didn't know what you'd like on your pizza so I went with pepperoni for you." She looked at him. "And I see you being all judgy about mine. If you're going to continue to stare in disturbed horror than the eyes need to be directed towards my belly. It's  _your_ child's fault, after all."

He still didn't understand why she'd shown up in his room. He was completely baffled. "Don't take this the wrong way, but why are you here?"

"I got sick of working about ten hours ago and was planning on playing hooky with you, but realized if I was serious about avoiding working than I needed to get things sorted. People think the government are the experts when it comes to politics, but the truth is there's a lot of politicking which goes on in the fashion industry. Lobbying, bartering, and more. It's all part of what we have to do in the industry. I spent the day getting all of that stuff done so I could clear my schedule for the next couple of days. I can't miss the two fashion shows – well really there's only one show, the other's more of an advanced showing, but they work about the same – or the photo shoots, but I can now spend some time with you."

His brow furrowed.

"Look... I don't do relationships, Emmett. I've never really had any relationships. The closest thing I ever had was a summer affair after I graduated from high school. That's it. Well... and my Demetri. Aside from those two, all I've ever done are one night stands here and there – most of which didn't even include a date at the start. This is completely uncharted territory for me.  _You're_ completely uncharted territory."

For about half a second his eyes softened and then one line of what she said invaded his mind. He scowled. "Who the fuck is Demetri?"

She blushed furiously. "Um... he's about eleven inches long, blood-red, silicone, and battery operated."

He blinked.


	58. Chapter 57 - Fear (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 57 – Fear (Seth)**

Garrett made him laugh, at least when Seth wasn't trying to burn his skin off from blushing so hard, but Seth also knew the date felt like borrowed time.

He looked down and away from Garrett guiltily.

"Hey, where did your mind just go to?"

"I shouldn't be doing this."

"What shouldn't you be doing?"

Seth just shook his head because he didn't know how to explain it in a way someone who was comfortable with his sexuality would understand.

"I was a kid in the nineties so I remember what it was like to be gay in a time period when a lot of people considered it socially unacceptable. It doesn't matter what other people think though. You have to do what feels right for you."

He looked up. "And what do you do when the people who have those feelings are family?"

"Then they aren't really your family." His voice was firm.

Seth shook his head again. His two sisters and his brother were the only family he had, and while he knew Jacob wouldn't care... his sisters would. Rachel had raised him from the time he was ten to the time he was eighteen and it was all too easy to imagine the disgust and disappointment on her face if she  _ever_ learned the truth. He was less certain of Rebecca but he did know she'd made her husband fire one of his fellow fishermen on his crew because of his sexuality.

"I've... I've got to go." He got up and quickly walked around the table to leave.

"Not yet." Garrett caught his arm in his hand just before he was out of reach and pulled him back, kissing him briefly.

The kiss was sweet, tender, and not at all what Seth had been expecting from Garrett. When Garrett let him go, he was left reeling

"Now you can go."

Seth didn't respond and quickly left, practically running as he fled from the restaurant.


	59. Chapter 58 - Memory (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 58 – Memory (Leah)**

_**August 12th, 2011** _

She woke up with a start. She hurt in a way she wasn't familiar with and she had no clue where she was at. The last thing she remembered was driving towards Port Angeles to meet up with Caius and Gianna for a night of fun.

She wasn't at their place though. She'd been to their house before and she knew exactly what they're house looked like.  _This_... wasn't there. Instead she was in some sort of crappy rundown motel – the type that people rented out by the hour instead of by the night.

As she looked around the hotel room, she found a t-shirt –  _not hers_  – and what looked to be her jeans. Everything else was missing; her shirt, her bra, her undies, even her sock and shoes.

Cautiously she got out of bed only to practically fall to her knees before finally steadying her legs and forcing herself ramrod straight.

She grabbed up the clothes before going into the bathroom – dilapidated though it was – and looking in the filthy mirror. There were bruises starting to form on her thighs, hips, upper arms, neck, and possibly her breasts. Though she wasn't sure as her breasts and belly appeared to be flaked with wax.

Just what the fuck did she agree to? And perhaps the better question was with who?

Finally she turned to look at her back and let out a shocked gasp. Her back was inflamed. There really was no better description for the way her back looked. Red, swollen, and thin gashes with dried blood. Had she been whipped?

She didn't remember any of it.

She closed her eyes, unsure what to do. Slowly she headed back into the bedroom, looking for a name of the motel so she'd know where she was. She stepped over to the phone on the bedside table, finding the name of the motel on a notepad next to the phone, Aircrest Motel. She recognized the name and knew it meant she was in the warehouse section of Port Angeles.

She sunk down onto the bed as she picked up the phone, dialing a number she had memorized in spite of swearing she'd never use it.

The phone rang three times before finally a female voice answered, "Hello?"

"It's Leah. I... I need your help."


	60. Chapter 59 - Question (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Early post for the night... or late for last night, depending on personal opinion.

**Chapter 59 – Question (Rosalie)**

The first thing Rosalie recognized about Emmett was that he made her laugh. In all honesty, it wasn't something she'd done in years. She just wasn't the laughing type. Sure, when she'd been in high school, she'd perfected the art of the mocking laugh. She'd actually even used it on Emmett a few times – not that she'd realized the man beside her now was the boy who thought grease in hair and bad leather jackets made him look cool until she'd looked up his picture in the old high school year book. But Emmett was  _funny_ , he was genuine – or at least he seemed to be. Still, she couldn't help but wonder how much of his flirtatious jokes and sarcastic remarks were real? And how much was simply a game?

After all, he was the  _joker_.

Still, she'd been all for stripping him down and fucking him, or him fucking her – she wasn't particular – when she'd woke up beside him in his hotel bed that morning. She knew some of her desire had to do with hormones, in fact, if anyone asked, she'd say it all had to do with hormones.

They didn't get down and do the nasty though. Instead, they were in  _central park_ , which had been his idea. He kept on pointing out different trees as they walked through one of the trails and pointing out random designs the trees made that she was quite certain nobody but him would  _ever_ see.

He pointed towards two trees just as they rounded a bend on the path they were on. "Look those two trees are totally doing sixty-nine."

She looked at the trees he was pointing at. She wasn't a hundred percent certain what type of trees they were, though she suspected they were two different types of trees. One had a huge root system above ground, looking almost like legs, while the other – possibly an oak – had two low hanging branches reaching out toward the other. She supposed, if someone had a hell of an imagination, one might be able to envision the two trees in the purported sexual position.

Without any warning he changed the line of his casual conversation. "I hear they do weddings here."

She looked at him cautiously. "They do." The two words were extremely slow to come from her lips.

Generally speaking, men weren't the type to bring up things like weddings.

"Is that the type of thing you're into, or are you more of a spur of moment trip to Las Vegas type?"

She stopped cold. "Why are you asking?"

He turned to look at her and shrugged. "It's just a question. At least for now... Unless you want it to mean something."


	61. Chapter 60 - To Hack (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 60 – To Hack (Alice)**

After Jasper had gotten home from his regular appointment with his psychiatrist last night he'd asked Alice to hunt someone down for him. He'd wanted her to find a man by the name of Peter Lundegaard. Alice had never heard the last name before, but she knew Jasper had served with a Peter so it was easy to guess who he probably was.

One would think, with a mouthful for a surname such as Peter's, he would be easy to find. He wasn't. She'd spent six hours the night before trying to find info on the man in question.

Finally, she'd given up for the night and crawled into bed, falling face flat on her husband's pillow as he'd already rolled halfway onto her side.

It was now the next day and she was once again sitting cross-legged on the couch with her laptop on her legs. She was going to find Peter for her handsome stranger one way... or another. And she knew one sure way to find him. Even if Peter had been dishonorably discharged the same way Jasper had, she knew there was a military record of him  _somewhere_. She just had to find it.

There was a reason she was so good at website design and that was because she knew the ins and outs of code, encryption, and more. The thing was, her knowledge was useful for far more than just designing websites.

She'd started learning how to  _use the internet_  more than a decade prior, back when she'd had to hack in to her own medical records so the story matched what she'd paid her doctor to change the hard copy to read as. Aside from Doctor Snow – who had passed three years ago – and herself, there was only one other person who knew the true reason behind why she could no longer have children... and the ten year old girl living somewhere in Pensacola, Florida going by the name of Didyme "Dee-Dee" Dwyer couldn't possibly remember to tell anyone.

Alice's ability to hack allowed her to keep tabs on the girl who was happy, loved, and safe – which was everything Alice had never been as a child. She knew it would be smarter to not even check but she had to  _know_.

Still, one of the first things she learned with the internet was there was always a back door.

She opened up a website, freezing it mid-load just as the background of the white star with the gold edge started to appear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I want to apologize for not posting last night. Unfortunately, with Thanksgiving a mere four days away, the winter holidays next month (of which I usually participate in several different occasions), and my due date being mid January, I'm finding my life to be quite hectic. So expect delays, though I'm going to try to post at least every other day even if I'm not able to post daily.


	62. Chapter 61 - Promise (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 61 – Promise (Bella)**

She hadn't expected a call from her step-sister that morning or, if she was being honest, ever. There had been a time, a little over four years ago, when her father had asked for Sue's hand where Bella had once told a young and impressionable Leah that she could call for anything and Bella would come. She'd promised Leah she would come, but that had been a long time ago and Leah had never before taken advantage of Bella's offer.

Bella never broke her promises though, and while some would argue she broke her biggest promise of all, she hadn't. Neither Jacob nor her had promised to respect, honor or even obey in their vows that they'd hand written. Neither had promised to be  _faithful_. She may have... skirted the gray area to some extent, but she hadn't actually broken her vows and neither had Jacob.

And, as she never broke her promises, she'd came when Leah had called and was now at a rundown motel which probably should have been closed down two decades prior. She was relatively certain she'd actually seen a  _cockroach_ run across the floor when she'd entered the room Leah was in. The room was filthy and completely disgusting.

She looked at Leah's back now with concerned eyes. She'd brought a first aid kit as Leah had requested but she really suspected Leah needed more treatment than simple antiseptic.

"We really should call the police and then take you to the hospital so a rape kit can be done."

"There's no point. I wasn't raped," Leah snapped angrily.

She'd had an attitude since Bella had arrived.

"Leah, some of these cuts on your back are  _deep_  and those bruises forming on you aren't exactly conducive with normal sex."

Leah turned her head enough to glare at Bella. "I had wax on me when I woke up. Wax. It was sex. Kinky  _fucked up_  sex, but still sex. I was not raped."

Bella bit her lip. She may have spent the first nine years of her life with her mother but she'd spent the next nine living in her father's house – the chief of police. She knew what she was looking at, no matter what Leah was swearing.

"If you didn't want my advise than why didn't you call Jacob or Seth?"

"Didn't Jacob tell you? He called shit off with me." Her voice was angry and bitter. "Besides, I didn't want either of them bullying me into something I didn't want to do. Seriously, I was not raped. Now slap a band-aid on it and take me home already."

Bella sighed and shook her head but started to rub the antiseptic lotion in Leah's wounds.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So officially what happened to Leah will never be revealed as Leah isn't going to ever remember, but for anyone who wants a little more detail on what happened to her, I will be posting in my blog about it.


	63. Chapter 62 – Elvis (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 62 – Elvis (Emmett)**

"I've never really thought about it," Rosalie finally said after an interminable pause.

"Really? A girl like you with a ten year plan and all that hasn't always had your wedding planned?" He knew he was mocking Rosalie's drive some with his words, but the one thing he didn't want her to realize was just how important his question had truly been.

He heard her as she let out a disgusted snort.

"I'm sure you expect me to say I dreamed of a princess themed wedding with pink flowers and a castle and all those fancy frills little girls tend to dream of." She turned back to him, her eyes flashing fire. "Well, I didn't. The truth is I grew up in a broken home. I barely have any memories of the woman who was my mother though my father never divorced her. I realized at a young age love isn't worth it. Now it's true, as I started on my mission to become a fashion designer and get known I always figured once my career and line were stable than I'd probably marry and have a child. That way there would be someone to pass my life's work onto when the time came. None of that has to do with some sort of fancy wedding though – five minutes with an officiator at a courthouse would be fine by me."

He resisted the urge to wince from what she was saying. Her anger was sudden, leaving him with road rash, but he forced himself to keep his response light as he tried not to let her words get to him. "So... you wouldn't be opposed to stopping in Las Vegas on the way home then?"

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Are you seriously asking me to elope in approximately a week and a half?"

It wouldn't be a fucking elopement if he had anything to say about it. He already had her ring in a sock in his luggage – a ring he'd bought long before they ever went on their first date. He shrugged. "An Elvis impersonator would be cool."

She groaned. "Of course,  _you'd_ be the type for that. I thought you'd grown out of your bad hair fascination?"

"Hey! No knocking the king!"

She shook her head, flashing a brief smile before turning her back on him and walking away.

He couldn't help but notice that she hadn't said  _no_.


	64. Chapter 63 - Texts (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So, quick note, I suck at text shorthand. So it's sort of a mish-mash of text shorthand and complete diction.

**Chapter 63 – Texts (Seth)**

_Hey._

_We should meet up tonight._

_I'll take u to a great chinese joint. U'll love it._

_Or perhaps thai is more ur thing._

_You there?_

_I know, I'm ignoring the 3 day rule._

_Actually... Does the 3 day rule even still exist?_

_U are going to reply before the night is through. I guarantee it._

_Knock knock_

With each text from Garrett it got harder for Seth to ignore, but he was determined. A relationship would never work between them. The last text was so hard for him to not send the expected "whose there?" in response, but he forced himself not to. He wasn't going to respond.  _He wasn't._

Then his phone beeped again signaling yet another text – the tenth one since he got off of work for the evening.

_U don't wrk sun, right?_

In spite of how hard he had been trying to avoid answering Garrett's texts, he grinned and replied.

_No, I don't. I need a day off once & awhile._

Seth sent the text off and then went back to work on his art project. It was a good thing it was a project which was going to take him all night to finish because when he'd gotten home, he'd found his and Leah's bedroom door locked. He'd tried to coax her out of the room but had given up after she'd flat out refused to respond in anything other than monosyllabic grunts.

It was the wrong week, he was certain, but she was always a bitch of epic proportions when she was going through pms so he decided to let it slide as being that because he didn't have time to dissect whatever drama of the day she was going through. He had his own drama to deal with... in the form of texts from Garrett.

His phone beeped again and he looked down.

_Then aftr u get off wrk sat, ride w/ me into Seattle. We can go to McD or the zoo or wtvr u'd like on sun._

He swallowed, staring at the text with no idea of how to respond. He didn't know how to do some sort of normal date night type thing. It wasn't something he'd ever done – at least not with a guy. He started to write out a reply four different times but finally gave up and set the phone back down without replying.

He dipped his brush into the black paint and brought it to his canvas to continue his work. He was painting a giant tree, though he still wasn't certain what tree it was. It could be yggdrasil, the tree of life, or zaqqum for all her knew.

His phone rang just as he pressed his brush to the canvas and he jumped out of his skin, causing the brush to skirt across his canvas in a way he hadn't wanted. He cursed loudly before putting the brush down and grabbing up his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"You didn't reply to my last text. So what do you say?"

A full body shiver overtook him at the sound of Garrett's voice. He immediately hung up the phone without replying.


	65. Chapter 64 - Irina (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 64 – Irina (Bella)**

_**August 14th, 2011** _

When she stepped into her aunt's house, her first desire was to throw up. The smell which hit her was something straight out of a horror novel.

"What is that smell?"

"Oh, I know, it smells atrocious at the moment, but I'm detoxifying my house. It's all the rage in South Korea, or Cambodia..." Her aunt, Irina, paused for a moment. "Or perhaps it was Taiwan. I can't remember now. Five days of a mild stench and then house will be cleansed of all negative energy, spirits, and bad aromas forever."

Bella hid her grimace. Irina was a brilliant woman who had been a producer and adviser of fashion ads, commercials and more for more than thirty years with her career starting as a model for Chanel back in the mid seventies right out of high school. To top all of that off, she was a member of the town council. The thing was for all her aunt's smarts, she had all the same quips as her mom had, including going through obsessions and hobbies the way most people went through socks.

"And what are you detoxifying your house with?"

"Oh it's an aroma therapy blend. Lavender, lemongrass, sandalwood, peppermint, oregano, and fish oil to round it out."

Bella looked away so her aunt wouldn't see the look of disgust she was unable to hide. At least she now knew why it smelled so bad.

"So, the quarterly town meeting is this Tuesday. I'm going to be bringing up the idea of getting my dad a memorial again. I want you to side with me on this." She left out the words  _this time,_  but she was sure her aunt could hear them.

She accepted no one was going to remember her mom as anything other than the drunk woman who ran off in the middle of the night, but Bella didn't want her father to be forgotten. Unfortunately, the last three times she'd tried to get this done, her aunt had been reticent to give her approval much the way the rest of the council was.

"Why won't you let this go, dear?"

Bella narrowed her eyes. "My dad died saving someone's life. He  _deserves_  the recognition."

Bella waited for a minute but Irina didn't respond. Finally, Bella sighed. "Look, I get it. You've always blamed my dad for not looking for mom, and for not trying harder to save her. But the truth is even if he had found her after she ran off while pregnant with me twenty-five years ago, it wouldn't have done him any good. A person has to actually  _want_ to be saved for it to work. The only thing Renee, my mom and your  _sister_ , ever wanted was get the money together for her next bottle of whiskey. In spite of Renee's numerous faults, I loved her, I will always love my mother. But none of what she did to herself was dad's fault."

Nine years ago, back when her mother had died, she too had blamed her dad for not doing something, and it had taken her a long time to accept that her mom had been beyond help – that her dad had done nothing wrong. But she eventually had.

"Then perhaps he should have see the signs before she took off."

Bella shrugged. "Perhaps. Perhaps you should have. Perhaps grandma should have. The what if game won't get anyone anywhere."

Irina glowered at her.

Bella sighed. "Look, I'm already getting Mr Cullen's backing. You're just going to rubber stamp it, so do me a favor and get on board with this."

Bella turned her back on her aunt and walked out before she could reply, taking grateful breaths of clean air once she got outside.


	66. Chapter 65 - Tourist (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 65 – Tourist (Rosalie)**

For Rosalie, photo shoots were a necessary – albeit extremely boring – part of the things she had to do. It was something she had to be there for, because if she wasn't things would inevitably go wrong. Not that they didn't when she was there, it was just easier for her to handle the fallout when she was around to deal with it.

Like today, with a freaking  _tourist_ on the photo set. Said tourist, in a damn wheelchair with almost his entire left leg gone, swore up and down he was one of her model's boyfriends – and if he'd claimed anyone to be his girlfriend other than the one he did, she might have even believed him. The thing was, he said  _Charlotte_  was his girlfriend, which was impossible, because Charlotte was a lesbian and everyone knew it. She was actually more than just a lesbian, she was butch, with a pageboy haircut, a face a little too angular to be considered pretty, and tattoos covering over seventy percent of her body. She wasn't a typical model most people would use, but it was part of the appeal for Rosalie. And yes, Rosalie knew she was stereotyping Charlotte, but none of it was untrue.

Still, she couldn't bring herself to kick a guy in a wheelchair off set. Her bitchy attitude went a long way towards being able to run a successful business in the fashion industry, but even she had limits, and no matter how much part of her wanted to kick the guy off set she couldn't do it.

Besides, Emmett was around somewhere. She was relatively certain he was asleep in the back... or he was pestering her models as they got changed. Rosalie was pretty sure her second thought should have made her jealous or at least enraged, instead she found the idea amusing. He was a player, which she knew all too well, but for all that, he'd never dealt with women like her models so she was sure if he tried anything they'd chew him up and spit him out.

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Maggie asked, nodding toward Charlotte in front of the cameras.

She knew exactly what Maggie was talking about. "It's perfect. The black dress fits her like a dream. It's not my fault if people don't look close enough to realize her arms are tattooed and she's  _not_ wearing a long-sleeve dress."

"It's controversial and potentially misleading," Maggie grumbled.

"Which is why Corrine is modeling a blue dress exactly like it. And believe it or not, controversial is good for the company."

After the camera men, Eleazar and what's-his-face, finished the last shot, Charlotte raced right over to where the man in the wheelchair was sitting, kissing him soundly on the lips.

Rosalie blinked several time but the scene didn't change. She opened her mouth to say something to Maggie though she wasn't sure what, but her phone rang. She grabbed her phone out of her pocket, checking the screen before bringing it to her ear.

"Hey, Alice."


	67. Chapter 66 - Cold Shower (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 66 – Cold Shower (Seth)**

Seth closed his eyes as the water from the shower poured over head. Hr shouldn't have come with Garrett, he certainly shouldn't have ridden to Seattle in Garret's car the night before, but he had. So now he was here and he had absolutely no way to flee.

He'd never dealt with someone so  _pushy_ as Garrett was. Even after hanging the phone up on Friday night, Garrett had shown up at the Pirate Cove Cafe at his normal time, ordering the same thing he did every single time, and handed him a note to meet him after his shift. Seth hadn't even been able to sneak out because Garrett had been waiting for him out the back... and Seth hadn't been able to come up with a good enough reason in his own mind to not go. Now though he had plenty of reasons.

The biggest reason, he was freaking himself out just being there. Garrett hadn't tried anything. In fact, he hadn't even hinted at it, but how else was Seth supposed to figure out this weekend away.

Seth finally turned off the shower and got out, dressing in clothes which Garrett had left out for him as he'd only had the set he'd been wearing with him. The clothes were too big for Seth but were still smaller than what Garrett or his brother would wear.

When Seth made it downstairs and headed toward the kitchen where he could smell bacon cooking. He stopped when he saw Garrett staring at the tv in the living room. The tx was tuned to a local Seattle news channel.

"Once again, the body of one Randal Davis was found in a train car at Balmer Yard. No details have yet been revealed, but all signs point to foul play," the news anchor said. Seth didn't watch the Seattle news all that often but he was relatively sure the anchor was named June Richardson.

"Garrett? Did you know him or something?"

"No. I was watching to see if there were any problems with traffic downtown. I thought you might enjoy going to the Pop Culture Art Museum." His words were extremely casual as he shut the tv off with the remote.

Seth's brow furrowed slightly as he felt a chill from Garrett's words, but he shrugged it off because he was certain he was merely pushing his insecurities forward. "Good, because the bacon is burning." Seth nodded his head toward the kitchen.

"Fuck," Garrett snarled and got up from where he was sitting on the coffee table and dashed to the kitchen.


	68. Chapter 67 - Treading (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 67 – Treading (Edward)**

He was no longer certain exactly how long he'd been in the rehab facility but he  _needed_ a hit of something. It wasn't a matter of want, because every muscle, tendon and bone in Edward's body was screaming at him for a small amount of sweet relief. He needed it. Desperately.

The longer he went without something to offset the noise in his brain, the more he wanted to take the pen he used to journal with and stab it into his own carotid.

He turned the speed up on the treadmill and pushed himself to run faster – yet another exercise which was supposed to keep his mind busy and cleanse his thoughts from the desire to do drugs. It wasn't working though. The one-on-one therapy with Carlisle, the group therapy with Esme, the journaling, the art, the exercise... even the food. None of it worked for him.

None of it was going to work because what he really needed was the opposite of keeping his mind busy and occupied. He needed it to shut up. But he wasn't about to tell  _that_  to Carlisle. They might make him start in on yoga, hypnotherapy, and palates if he told Carlisle. And there was no way in hell or high-water anyone was making him pose himself in downward dog for x number of minutes. He'd had his share of his ass in the air when he was a kid.

Okay... his bad mood was making him sarcastic even with himself. A new all time low.

He pressed the accelerate on the treadmill one more time, hoping he could make himself go fast enough that he would slip and knock his own ass out. As at least then he'd get some sleep.


	69. Chapter 68 - Niche (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 68 – Niche (Alice)**

Alice grimaced as she put down her cell phone after getting off with Rosalie. She'd sent Jasper to go "help" his cousin with her show – not that his cousin needed anything of the sort. It was a bunch of bullshit, which she was sure her husband had known on some level, but Alice had always been a talented liar.

Back when she was pregnant and started to show it was a thyroid problem. She'd even paid off a doctor, the same one she later paid to have a hysterectomy at the same time as she'd had the c-section, to file it in her medical charts. When she'd stopped having periods altogether and stopped needing things like tampons she'd come up with the story of the abortion and infection which followed.

Her lies were believable because she always backed them up with evidence facts. At least until one of them bit her in the ass – which her lie to Jasper totally was going to this time around.

After too many hours breaking too many laws, she'd finally found Jasper's friend, Peter. She'd discovered he'd changed his last name to Lunn, which explained why she hadn't found Peter Lundegaard. She'd also found out that one Charlotte Mavis, a model for Rosalie, was in a relationship with Peter. Her plan had been to send him to New York and have Rosalie ask him a casual question about people he served with while standing near Charlotte so she could overhear.

All of her careful planning was blown out of the water though because Peter was  _there_ , with Charlotte. She'd told Rosalie to keep Peter there no matter what, Alice would deal with the fall out when Jasper returned.

She shook her head and headed into her bedroom, going over to her dresser and kneeling down in front of it. She pulled out the bottom the drawer and set it on the ground next to her. Unlike many dressers, her bottom wasn't hollow with a couple simple wooden bars as runners for the drawer, instead, underneath the drawer was a small space with a wooden bottom where she kept a collection of knives, razor blades and other cutting tools – including a shard of a broken mirror. Jasper carefully took any and all knives from her which he knew about, but he didn't know about her little niche.

She carefully pulled out a wicked blade which looked like a crescent moon on a fancy bone handle. She stared at the finely crafted knife for a minute, admiring the gleam of the blade. She'd bought the knife when she was fourteen from a new-age store in Port Angeles with the intention of slitting her father's throat. She'd never gone through with it, but she still contemplated it, first degree murder be damned.

She sighed and put it back in the hidden base of the dresser before pulling out the mirror shard and got up, heading into the bathroom.


	70. Chapter 69 - Models (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 69 – Models (Emmett)**

He should have stayed at the hotel, he really should have, because being on this photo set all he wanted to do was stare at the different assets the numerous models working for Rosalie had. And he was seriously worried if she caught him staring she might actually bite his head off.

But... the three African American women, Kachiri, Zafrina, and Senna had long legs which were killer. They were purportedly triplets though he doubted it as, even if it weren't for the fact that their skin tones varied from the midnight black of Kachiri to the deep chestnut of Zafrina to the caramel toffee of Senna, their eyes, hair, and facial bone structure all differed.

Then there was Corin, a pale blond-haired woman with ice blue eyes, whose ancestors he honestly suspected hailed from Scandinavia, with a lithe statuesque frame and a rump which was slightly too large in comparison to the rest of her body. It was the kind of derriere that any red-blooded man would die to hold and squeeze – smack too, if he was being completely honest. There was also Chelsea who was much more tan but just as blond, though her eyes were hazel. Chelsea's blond hair fell halfway down her back, was thick, and looked silky. It was only a little too easy to imagine how nice it would be to grip.

The remaining four were Heidi, Shelly, Tia, and Charlotte. Emmett could easily describe what made each of them perfect. The problem was he was going to get in trouble for his knowledge. It wasn't his fault though that he paid attention... technically, seeing details was part of his job.

He was relatively sure it wouldn't stop Rosalie from ripping him a new one if she caught him, after all, it was quite obvious it was her biggest problem with him. He'd caught her calling him a player and a lady's man on more than one occasion. He just wasn't sure it was something he could  _really_ change about himself. Oh, he could be faithful, he was sure of that, but he was far less certain of an ability to not look or flirt or any of the other things he enjoyed.

A lot of people – Rosalie included – thought it was about the sex for him... and okay, he wasn't about to deny the fact that he loved sex, but it was about so much more than getting laid. He enjoyed teasing people, he enjoyed making people laugh and blush... he enjoyed banter, tying people up in metaphorical knots, and flirting just for the sake of flirting. It was very much a part of him and he'd been that way ever since he could remember.

So he couldn't help but notice Heidi having a full package... literally.

Still he was trying not to get himself in trouble with Rosalie. As such, he was staring at the only person other than him who didn't belong on set. The man in the wheelchair looked familiar, though he couldn't put his finger on why. It was disturbing because Emmett was good with faces and good with names. Maybe he'd seen the guy as a kid or possibly in a picture.

The side door on the warehouse opened and Margaret or Magdeline or whatever the spunky assistant's name was who drove him batty was called came in... Followed by Jasper.

Emmett blinked, staring at his little half-brother. His little half-brother on the other hand was staring past him at the man in the wheelchair.


	71. Chapter 70 - Recognition (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So I've never shown the same few minutes before from two different people, but there is a reason behind why I did this. And that's because both Emmett's and Jasper's perspective here were important.

**Chapter 70 – Recognition (Jasper)**

His arrival in New York hadn't been a big deal, nor had the taxi ride to the warehouse where Rosalie was working for the day, but Jasper was still suspicious he was being played by his wife. He just wasn't sure why. It wasn't like Alice to manipulate him, at least not to the extent where he ended up on plane bound for New York in the middle of the night, but he knew his little miss so he figure she had to have a good reason.

Once he got to the warehouse Maggie, Rosalie's young little assistant – who was actually more than a decade older than him – was waiting for him. No one would believe that the four foot ten in heels woman with bright greens eyes, heavily freckled cheeks and nose, and fuzzy bright red hair was actually almost forty years old, but she was. He still didn't understand all the details about how the woman had ended up as Rosalie's assistant, but it was his understanding that she was the single best thing that had happened to Rosalie's career in the fashion industry.

Before he'd come back from Iraq and Rosalie had started her fashion line he'd paid zero attention to any of it – in spite of the fact that his own mom was one of the biggest names in the fashion industry. He was fairly sure though that Maggie had been an executive assistant with Louis Vuitton or some other company of that same stature for over a decade before she'd dropped it all to go to work for Rosalie. No matter how much better Rosalie treated Maggie over her previous boss he couldn't begin to fathom the why behind her giving up a job which was paying her close to eight figures a year to work for a woman who had only been able to pay her minimum wage for the first two years of her business. He knew Maggie now got paid much better, but even so, it was nowhere in the vicinity of what she'd made before.

"Hello Jasper," Maggie said.

"Maggie." He nodded.

She turned on her heel and strutted away as she spoke. "Come with me and be quiet when we get inside. We're in the middle of a photo shoot. The photographers can't afford to be distracted. Well technically  _they can_ , but I'm not about to let Rosalie fork out more money than she already is for a freaking re-shoot because you decided to insert your foot in your mouth." Left unsaid was the  _again._

He pressed his lips together to keep from laughing at her uppity attitude and voice. He'd seen her interact with Bella, Alice, his  _own mom_ , and dozens of others over the fives years he'd known her and she was always lively, interactive, and loving. It was only with him that she had an attitude – all because he'd called her a fourteen year-old girl the first time he'd met her.

Of course, most women thought it a compliment when they looked younger than they really were.

He followed her around the side of the building and through a door only to stop in his track almost immediately. Halfway across the room from him was a man he honestly had never expected to see again.

"Peter."


	72. Chapter 71 - Dowling (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 71 – Dowling (Jacob)**

He could have waited for one of the two hydraulic lifts to become available, but the reality was if he was waiting on sleazeball numbers one and two to get their jobs done than he'd be growing gray hairs first. Both of their jobs were minor repairs and should have taken an hour, at the most. Instead, the vehicles had been up on the lifts for four hours already.

The brake job Diego Baxter, aka sleazeball number one, was supposed to have done was only going to get finished when Jacob got tired of him not doing his job and Jacob knew it. The same went for the oil change Riley Biers, aka sleazeball number 2, should have been doing. The fact that they came to work and spent their entire shifts smoking cheroots – disgusting smelling things – and bullshitting with each other rather than actually working, but still got paid two dollars more an hour than him really pissed Jacob off.

Unfortunately, there wasn't anything Jacob could do about it. He'd even talked to a lawyer about the obviously racist treatment he was continually handed about two years ago and was told that while it could be taken to court, and he'd likely even win in the long run, it would be a long drawn out battle in the courts and it would ultimately destroy  _his_  reputation and not John Dowling's. No one would hire a mechanic who cried foul play over a little bit of mouthing off.

So he gritted his teeth and dealt with it.

He  _needed_ to continue dealing with it for at least a few more months until he'd at the minimum broken ground on the property he bought.

He'd flat backed on oil changes many times growing up. After all, he'd been the one changing the oil on his sister's car from the time he was twelve years old. Still, he worked in a mechanic's shop now and it would be nice to actually take advantage of the tech available there rather than having to work the same way which he used to in the dirt floor garage of the house he grew up in.

Of course, he wasn't the only one working on cars without the help of a hydraulic lift. Royce Killian, aka sleazeball number three, was the only decent worker aside from Jacob under John's employment. Royce was a sleazeball though for a different reason than the other two. Royce actually seemed like a decent guy in the shop, he was friendly with Jacob, did his work without complaint, and was generally pleasant. But for all of that, Royce had been accused of a multitude of crimes from abuse to theft to rape in the last decade, and while he always managed to avoid hard prison time because of technicalities, it didn't make the crimes he committed any less real. He was the type of guy most people would  _never_  consider working with.

The kick to his ankle made him grit his teeth together as he continued to unscrew the cap so the oil could drain into the oil pan.

"Are done with that yet, redskin?"

Jacob clenched his fists together and counted to ten at the sound of John's condescending voice. Trying to calm himself though didn't work. Finally he gave up on it. "I would be if those two would actually work for a change so people other than them could use the damn lifts to work on the vehicles," he snarled.

"What, you afraid of getting a little dirt on you? Stupid buck." His boss's voice was derisive as he spoke.

Jacob saw red. He pulled himself out from under the car so fast that John didn't have a chance to back away before he was on his feet and shoving his boss into the nearest wall. "Say it again. I fucking dare you."

"I said you're nothing more than a stupid spruce nigger."

Jacob's hand curled into a fist and he slammed it forward, changing the trajectory at the last possible moment so it slammed into the wall beside his boss's ear rather than his boss's nose as he wanted to. The pain in his hand was instantaneous but he ignored it. "Fuck you, John. Consider this my resignation." At the moment he didn't care that he needed the paycheck.

He turned and headed toward the door to leave.

"You walk out that door and I'll make sure nobody in a hundred mile radius hires you as a mechanic!" John shouted.

Before he'd bought that property the thought would have actually scared him, working on vehicles was all he really knew and also his truest passion. Now though, he didn't care. He flipped John the bird with his non-injured hand and left.


	73. Chapter 72 - Reflection (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 72 – Reflection (Leah)**

Leah looked at herself in a mirror. The bruises which covered a good sixty percent of her body had bloomed into solid black and blue designs. She was glad Seth wasn't around or he'd want answers to questions she couldn't answer.

Leah had spent hours surrounding herself with the smells of sandalwood and lemongrass while relaxing in a lotus position in an effort to try and force memories to come, but nothing worked. She was no more aware of what she'd agreed to than she had been when she'd first woke up naked in a skeevy motel. She still had no clue where the fuck her car was or her cell phone and wallet. She couldn't help but wonder if the guy who fucked her had stolen her vehicle – he  _had_ stole her best set of underwear, after all.

If she knew where her damnable cell phone was, she'd use it to call someone who could make everything better. Hell, if she had her car she could just drive there. Instead she was regulated to the local things in La Push, and while she supposed she could reach out to Jared for some decent pot or even Raoul for a pleasurable lay... with the chance of her bruises getting back to her mom, Jacob, Seth or even one of her kid brothers she was unwilling to chance either.

Finally she turned her back on the damn mirror and headed into her bedroom, quickly pulling on some denim shorts and a short-sleeve gray tee with the word 'bitch' written over the breast area in sparkly red. Neither the shirt nor the shorts covered all the bruises, but she refused to hide her body.

Then she stepped out of the bedroom, ready to make the jog up to where Joshua lived, but before she even made it to the front door she stepped into the kitchen and yanked the ten-inch chef's knife out of the knife block.

She gripped the end of her hair in her fist and wrapped her hair around the blade before pulling hard. She gritted her teeth against the pain as some of her hair ripped from the roots even as most of it was cut with the knife. The knife with over a foot of hair fell to the kitchen floor and she stared at it for ten seconds before turning her back on it.

She headed out the door to her house.


	74. Chapter 73 - His Story (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 73 – His Story (Jasper)**

He couldn't believe Peter was  _here,_ at Rosalie's photo shoot.

Every instinct in him had him wanting to go over and say hello to Peter, instead he turned toward Rosalie and headed her way.

"How long have you known him?" Jasper ground out to his cousin.

She didn't check to see who he was talking about. "If you're talking about the guy in the wheelchair, I don't. Today's the first time I've ever met him. He's Charlotte's boyfriend."

He blinked. He knew a little about the model Rosalie mentioned. "But isn't she –"

"Evidently not," Rosalie cut him off.

He turned to look at his friend to find Peter staring at him.

When they'd made it out of hell, there had been no promises made, no sharing of phone number or plans for the future. Jasper had left the hospital as soon as they'd allowed him to leave – after he'd promised to keep his mouth shut. He'd left in the night with no word to his friend. At the time he'd been unable to face the man who he'd cost a leg.

Peter rolled over to him.

"Jasper, what the hell are you doing here man?"

"I asked my wife to find you for me. She sent me here, though why she didn't come along or at least let me know that I was coming here to meet you, I don't know."

Peter eyes widened for a moment and then they shuttered, closed off completely in a way that left Jasper wondering exactly how many secrets Peter had. "I know why."

"Oh?"

"Walk with me," Peter said before spinning the wheelchair and rolling towards the door that Jasper came through just a few minutes prior.

Jasper quickly caught up to him and opened the door for his friend without being asked.

As soon as they were outside, Peter started talking, but he kept on moving along in his wheelchair as he spoke. "God, as open and lit up as that warehouse is, I prefer the fresh outdoors. How much do you remember about the caverns, Jas?"

Jasper tried not to think about them for the most part and what he did remember was broken. "I don't know... bits and pieces. After hitting the –" he swallowed "– landmine, I hit my head pretty hard on something... metal or a rock... I'm not sure. Anyways, I had severe cranial damage. Expired a couple of times after they found us and helivaced us to the nearest medical center. I died a few more time in those first weeks while we were in the Iraqi medical base before we were both finally transferred to the states. I suffered quite a bit of brain damage, thankfully not in a way that really effects my day to day life, but there's tons of things from my service I don't fully remember and whole years of my childhood that are – at best – blurry and indistinct."

"Did you forget me too?" Peter's words were bitter.

Jasper was so shocked by his friends words that he stopped walking. "No! Never!"

Peter spun to face him. "Then why didn't you ever come to see me when we were in the hospital? Why the fuck did you not let me visit you? Hell, why didn't you let me know you were leaving when you did?"

Jasper swallowed again and stepped backwards. He didn't want to have this confrontation with his friend. "I couldn't face you."

"Why not?"

The memories flashed through his head, broken and disjointed though they were, of him helping Peter into the passenger side of the vehicle, of getting into the driver's side, driving away, him promising they were safe and home free, the explosion that rocked their world. "It's my fault you lost your leg!" he shouted, trying to escape the next memories from coming – the memories of coming to and demanding to find out how his brother in arms was doing only to find out Peter ended up losing his leg.

"What?"

"I promised you we were out. That we were safe at last and then we hit that damn mine. If I'd fucking paid better attention to my driving –" He broke off and looked away from Peter.

"Don't you dare tell me that you blame yourself for what happened!" Peter snapped. "We were both in bad shape, neither of us should have been driving and I certainly couldn't have, but you forced yourself to drive us away from that damn prison. In spite of pain, exhaustion, starvation and dehydration  _you got us out_. If it hadn't been for you doing the impossible we'd both be dead and forgotten. I'm alive at all, because of you."

Jasper shook his head. He wasn't ready to be forgiven. He wasn't ready to hear what Peter was saying. He took another step backwards.

Peter reached out and grabbed his arm. "The reason your wife didn't just come out and tell you I was here is because she shouldn't have been able to find me and I'm assuming she didn't want you to know that she probably broke several laws to do it."

Peter's words stopped Jasper cold. "What do you mean?"

"Unlike you, I remember everything. Every single miserable second of that hell. I remember what it was like to have my throat flooded with water as they held me down – at least it was water when they were being kind. I remember the volts of electricity running through my body, the lashes to my back from a whip. I remember the first time they shot me... and the second. I remember what it felt like when they took the knife to me. I also remember hitting the landmine after we got out and I remember watching you fading in and out of it – remember how I physically wasn't strong enough to crawl the few feet to get to you. I thought you were going to die in front of me long before the American army finally swooped in and saved us.

"Then we got back stateside and they told me that as far as the government was concerned the stuff we went through didn't actually happen. I'm assuming they told you the same thing, but every time I tried to reach out to you to see how you were handling that fact, you wouldn't see me... and then you were gone. I wasn't sure what to do. I just knew there was no way in hell that I could go home and face my parents, my friends, all the dozens of people who I grew up knowing and  _pretend_  that I hadn't gone through hell. So I made myself heard while I was in rehab. I ended up making an agreement with some people in the government. It's still not something I'm all that happy with, but it's better for my family and friends back home in Texas."

Jasper's brow furrowed. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying that Peter Lundegaard is dead."


	75. Chapter 74 - Sixth Sense (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 74 – Sixth Sense (Seth)**

_**August 15th, 2011** _

He'd have given anything for his trip to Seattle with Garrett to never end. In spite of the fact that Garrett had seemed a bit distracted, he hadn't cared, it had been the most open and free he'd ever felt. In a perfect world they'd have stayed in Seattle – essentially a world away from the condemnation which he knew he would face if his sexuality ever got out.

It was why he had decided to drive back home at four in the morning rather than stay in Port Angeles for classes. In fact, he wasn't going to go to school or work today. He simply couldn't handle it. Ever since he'd started taking courses at the college, it had been the one place he'd felt semi-safe in his sexuality. He didn't have to worry about his sisters finding out he was getting head from a guy, didn't have to fear how the elders in La Push would react, and didn't have to worry about how someone would react if someone caught him staring at a guy for a little too long.

As was the case with most open community colleges, there was a reasonable amount of liberal attitude that made the school a safe place to be, but now there was Garrett for him to contend with. And even if nobody cared at the school about him being gay... Garrett was a  _teacher_. Seth knew exactly how wrong carrying on a relationship with a teacher was. Hell, when he'd been in high school such a thing had legal ramifications even.

He pulled into the drive of the apartment he shared with Leah, quickly shutting off the car to head inside. He could spill his guts to her and she'd help get his head straight. Her prattling on about their upcoming wedding would be the one sure thing which would remind him where exactly he belonged.

Unfortunately for him the instant he stepped in the little apartment, it felt as if spiders were crawling up his spine. Seth had never been one to believe in ridiculous things like the heebie-jeebie sixth sense which was often spouted in books and movies, but he totally believed it at that moment. Something was  _very wrong_  in his house.

"Leah? You home?" He knew she should be, it was only a little after five thirty in the morning, even if she was working today, it wouldn't be for a few more hours.

When there was no response he swallowed and took a step forward but stopped when he spotted something glinting on the kitchen floor.

He quickly turned on the lights and headed over to the kitchen only to break out in chills upon spotting the hair and knife on the floor.


	76. Chapter 75 - Wrong (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So as I'm now up to chapter 75 – and possibly halfway through this story (really not sure about that part) – I decided to post this reminder notice of sorts. In the prolegomenon, I posted a warning that stated this story would touch on several things including suicide, that warning is still very much real. It won't be for quite some time still, but I want to make sure people are prepared for that eventuality. There are nine major characters in this story, and while I promise the majority will have a happy ending, at least one is not making it out of this story alive. I will confirm that it is not Rosalie, Emmett, or either of the Cullen twins. That still leaves any of five characters who it could be and I won't confirm whose tale(s) is going to end in death. A little bit of interpretation and you can probably rule out at least one or two of the remaining five. That being said, this story is about the journey, and in any real journey there is tragedy.

**Chapter 75 – Wrong (Jacob)**

He was already regretting his decision to quit his job. He shouldn't have been so rash and he knew it. The ink on sale of the property he bought wasn't even dry yet. Jacob knew they needed an income, more than the measly just over minimum wage that Bella brought home from Newton's. Especially given that he was ninety-nine point nine percent certain Bella was pregnant... Even if she was denying it through her teeth.

But he knew the signs for when she was pregnant, and everything from the food she was eating to her continual morning sickness and even her attitude said she was definitely pregnant. His first instinct was to actually confront her on it, but after much thought he'd decided that maybe it would be better if she didn't believe she was pregnant. After all, he was firm in the idea that when it came to being sick, in pain, etc the belief behind it was what caused it more than anything else. And – thanks to her doctors – she believed her likelihood of having a child was almost nil.

Before they'd gotten married and been dating they'd talked about her desire for a family many times, how even though she had a sister and a father she often felt like she had no part in their lives, how while they were blood they weren't her family in the truest sense of the word.

He'd promised her at the time that he'd give her a family, that she'd always be his family and that they'd create a future together. Unfortunately, neither of them had realized the health problems she had when he'd made such a foolish promise. If, when they'd first discovered her problem, he'd been smart and suggested they adopt their marriage probably wouldn't be so damaged now. But he hadn't thought about that until much later, and by then, the damage had already been done

He closed his eyes and slammed his pillow over his face, hoping to shut his brain off for awhile. He didn't want to think about all the ways he'd failed. "Of course, she didn't have to start seeing Eddie either," he grumbled under his breath. He knew that was pretty though, because in all honesty after his reaction when they lost William...

His phone rang, successfully shutting off the dark trail his brain was heading down in a way the pillow hadn't.

He grabbed the phone as he pulled his pillow off of his face before answering without checking the caller id. "Hello?"

"Jacob, is Leah there?" his brother's voice asked, sounding completely frantic.

"No. Why?" Jacob's brow furrowed. Hadn't Leah told his brother that he wasn't seeing her anymore?

"Fuck," Seth cursed viciously.

Jacob sat bolt upright at Seth's swear. "What's going on?"

"Her phone's going straight to voicemail and her hair is on our kitchen floor. I don't know where she is or what happened. I was... out of town for the last couple of days."

Jacob's brow furrowed at the guilt in his brother's voice even as he tried to reason out what Seth was telling him. In all truth, Leah was  _flighty._ She'd always been that way, still cutting off her hair was strange, even for Leah. "She's probably fine. Have you called Sue or Emily?"

There was no response for several seconds and he was just about to check and see if the line dropped when to his utter shock a sob tore through the phone.

He was off the bed before he even realized he'd made the decision to move. "Stay calm. I'll be there soon." He disconnected the phone without waiting for a reply from his little brother. He didn't know what was going on just that something was very wrong.


	77. Chapter 76 - Lost Girls (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 76 – Lost Girls (Jasper)**

His mind was still reeling from Peter's revelation to him and he still wasn't sure what to make of what he told him. Peter's own description of having supposedly died in the hospital wasn't strictly accurate. It was more like he'd simply ceased to exist because apparently while he'd still been in the hospital recovering, he'd filed for a legal name change with the courts. Apparently after the name change had been approved and finalized, the deal he'd made was to have the record sealed in return for him keeping his mouth shut.

So it wasn't so much that Peter Lundegaard had died, it was more that he'd simply ceased to exist. Of course, the fact that his little miss had apparently broke into a sealed record to find this out deeply concerned him.

Unfortunately, his attempt to call her last night so he could properly yell at her had gone straight to voicemail – he was quite sure she was avoiding his call on purpose. He loved her, he really did, but he didn't want their marriage to end up with one of them spending the duration of it in a cell. In all honesty, it was one of only two things that stopped him from seeking retribution from the man who was her father.

His promise to Bella had been the other, though he still didn't know _why_ she'd made him promise not to harm Edward Cullen Sr, but she had.

"That'll be twenty-two fifty," the grumbly taxi driver said, pulling him out of his thoughts.

Jasper hadn't even realized he'd arrived at the address Peter had told him to meet him at. He quickly paid the taxi driver and got out.

The building he was at was an orphanage, at least according to the sign, though the building itself looked like it wasn't far from falling down. He blinked in surprise. Peter had refused to tell him what was at the address, but even if Jasper had made a guess, it wouldn't have been an  _orphanage_.

"About time you got here," a female voice said from behind him.

He spun to see Charlotte carrying two large boxes down the sidewalk. "Where is here?"

"This is where Peter and I met. Well, actually we met a few blocks away, but it was because of one of the kids here. I... volunteer here." She continued her walk, passing him and heading up the drive. "Come on, Jasper."

Jasper followed her up the drive and into the small two story orphanage. The dilapidated exterior was practically perfection when compared to the interior of the building. The wooden staircase that led up to the second floor had several rotten floor boards and the walls were cracked. Peter was sitting in the center surrounded by several girls, including one who couldn't be older than four or five situated on his lap.

"Here, let me help you with those," a girl who had to be almost eighteen said as she stepped over to Charlotte, taking the boxes from her.

"Thanks, Serena. It's subs," Charlotte said. Her words caused all the girls to abandon Peter and go straight for the boxes.

Jasper took advantage of it to make his way to Peter. "What is this place? I mean aside from the obvious." He didn't come out and ask why they were all there, but he was sure Peter could hear the unasked questioned.

"Charlotte grew up here. She volunteers to help as much as possible."

His brow furrowed. "But... why?"

"Charlotte set fire to her own house when she was eight after the man who should have been raising her smacked her mom around one night. She should have been sent to juvie," a voice said. He turned to stare at an older woman with gray hair and a heavily wrinkled face. "My name's Hilda. Every girl here, as far as the state's concerned, belongs in an asylum or juvenile hall when really all they need is love. Unfortunately funding is drying up for  _lost causes_  such as them and I'm getting up there. Reality is this place is going to be closing down soon. I'm trying to keep it open until at least the oldest of my girls are eighteen so they can get out in the real world, but the oven broke down three days ago so I don't know if I'll even be able to do that."

He looked around, doing a count of the kids. There were fifteen girls in the woman's small orphanage, which he was quickly coming to the understanding was actually more of a halfway house, only about two, maybe three, were old enough to be reaching eighteen anytime soon.

"And what happens to the rest when you close down?" He had a sick feeling that he already knew the answer to his question.

"Most of them will be sent to juvie, a few to an asylum. And Maysun over there will probably be sent back to Somalia." Hilda pointed toward a shadow hiding in a corner which he hadn't noticed before.

"Charlotte and I are trying to adopt a couple of them, but there's a lot of red tape when it comes to adopting  _troubled_  children," Peter said.

Jasper swallowed around a lump in his throat. "Where's the oven?"


	78. Chapter 77 - The Joker (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 77 – The Joker (Emmett)**

The warm body in his bed with him when he first woke up had him panicking for about half a minute before he remembered Rosalie had slept in his room again. He quickly got up and made his way over to the bathroom attached to the hotel room he was in.

It took everything he had to not jump in the shower and take care of his morning issue with his hand, but... he glanced quickly back at the bed where Rosalie was sleeping. She'd all but begged him last night to fuck her and he'd refused. He _wanted_  her to understand that he wanted to be in an actual relationship with her. He wasn't just in it for another lay. And yet he felt that getting his own pleasure was cheating since he was refusing to do anything with her.

"Stupid confusing morals," he muttered under his breath.

He stepped over to the sink, splashing his face with cold water. His problem, he'd never been a saint and yet he  _knew_  if he gave in to her before they'd truly figured out where they stood than he'd just prove to her that all he cared about was sex.

"You know, I can help with that morning wood." Rosalie's words wrapped around him like a promising morning sun.

He  _wasn't_ a saint, and yet... "Not necessary."

And just like that her her gentle attitude was gone. "Dammit, Emmett. I'm pregnant with your kid and horny as hell," she spat angrily.

He'd honestly forgotten  _that_  particular part about pregnant women. He spun to her, crossing his arms over his chest. "Is that all I am to you? A fucking meat stick to assuage your sexual desires?" He knew it was a shitty thing to say.

"And if it is?" Her eyes glinted in rage and possibly unshed tears.

He prayed it wasn't tears. He didn't do women and waterworks. "Then go have fun with your Demetri. I didn't come to New York with you to be  _used_."

She jumped off the bed, fisting her hands. "What the fuck do you want from me, exactly? To admit that I want you to love me? That I want some pipe dream that I have  _no right_  wanting? To tell you that I could fucking fall for you in a heartbeat if I thought you'd be here for every tomorrow?"

Part of him was sure she wasn't wanting the answers to the questions she just asked. Too bad he was going to give them. "YES. Dammit. I  _love_ you and want to know when I get the ring out of the sock in my luggage and ask for your hand that it'll be a yes." He'd admitted more than he'd intended to, at the moment, he didn't care. "I am  _more than_  just the fucking joker."


	79. Chapter 78 - Confirmation (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 78 – Confirmation (Jacob)**

Jacob normally hated Seth's recalcitrant attitude when it came to locking his own apartment door, but today he was grateful as he was ninety percent certain Seth wouldn't have opened the door on his own – not that Jacob honestly had any issue with knocking a door down.

He quickly opened the door to Leah and Seth's apartment and immediately spotted Seth sitting on the kitchen floor, clutching his knees. Right in front of Seth was a large knife and a  _lot_  of hair. He'd need to go out and look for Leah... later. Much later, she could stew in whatever trouble she'd gotten herself into for awhile. His primary concern at the moment was Seth.

His little brother had always been more on the feminine side than he had, even as a little kid Seth had preferred stuffed animals and things like chess and reversi to Tonka toys, Hotwheels, and train tracks. There'd even been a time when Jacob had wondered if his little brother was gay, but then his little brother and his wife had slept together... and later Seth had gotten engaged to Leah. Even so, Seth had never been one to cry.

He stepped into the kitchen, quickly kicking the knife and the hair, which was still mostly wrapped around it, out of the way before kneeling in front of his little brother. "Seth, It's alright. We'll find Leah and you'll see that she's perfectly fine." Or at least she would be before he ringed her neck for scaring his little brother.

"It's not alright. It's just not." Seth shook his head adamantly.

Jacob didn't understand where Seth's guilt was stemming from. He grabbed his brother's arms. "Listen to me! Unless you were the one who wielded the knife to cut off her hair, whatever she's doing or has done isn't your fault. Leah's  _always_  been flighty, doing things at a whim that land not only herself in trouble, but often her mom as well."

"But if I'd been here –"

He cut him off, point blank. "You'd likely be ensconced in whatever bullshit she's in now. I love the woman, truly, but she doesn't have a shred of dignity. She's been smoking since she was twelve and has been spreading her legs for at least that long as well." Jacob wouldn't cast a negative light on Leah if it was untrue, the thing was, every word of it was true. Ever since Leah had been a young girl and moved in when his dad and her mom got together she'd been rebellious to the point of it being dangerous. He was honest enough with himself to admit that it was part of what attracted him to her. And he got it, to some extent, her desire for a parental figure who actually looked at her and  _saw her_  rather than a reflection of the man a young woman had lost too young, or the unwanted girl in a new family who already had too many kids. He understood her need for attention, her need for devoted love, and how her needs drove her to the things she did, but he wasn't sure if anyone would ever be able to truly give her what she was looking for.

Seth shook his head mutely.

"Seth, bro, you have  _nothing_  to feel guilty about."

Seth shook his head again before yanking his cellphone out of his pocket and handing it to Jacob.

Jacob looked at his little brother's phone for a minute before turning the screen on. After that it only took him a second to guess what his brother wanted him to look at, because the screen immediately took him to a log of texts from the same person. He slowly scrolled up to the top, reading the texts backwards as he did so. The most recent texts were only about an hour old and steeped in innuendo, above that a question about going to Seattle from a few days ago and what appeared to be a one-sided conversation including the start of a knock-knock joke. When he finally reached the top, it was the name of who the texts were from that made his brow furrow.

_Professor Whitlock_

"Emmett's brother?" He looked up at Seth for confirmation, but Seth just pressed his lips together. "Seth, are you telling me you're –"

"Don't say it," Seth snapped, cutting him off.

He'd take it as a yes but he frowned in confusion. "But you slept with Bella?"

Seth closed his eyes tightly. "I needed to prove to myself that it wasn't possible... that I wasn't.. that I couldn't be... well you know. And she was pissed at you because she'd caught you with someone, not Leah, someone else. She'd already accepted that you had a relationship with Leah... but it was one of Rosalie's friends, visiting from California or something along those lines. She wanted to get back at you so she got me off, but we didn't sleep together."

Jacob flinched at Seth's mention of the one night stand he'd had with Tanya – easily his biggest mistake. He'd called himself an idiot even at the time he'd slept with her, but she was a goddamn actress with killer legs and a hell of a rack, and he honestly didn't know all that many guys who would have told her no.

"So are you into both and just lean more toward guys?" he asked his little brother, hoping that by avoiding the words gay and bi it would make it so Seth was more willing to respond.

He mutely nodded his head before shaking it and finally shrugging indecisively.

"Seth..." He reached up and squeezed his little brother's shoulder. "It's alright to be gay, you know that right?"

Seth's hands slammed over his ears as he got up and shot from the kitchen and straight into his bedroom before Jacob could stop him.

"Billy," Jacob spat as he got up from his crouch to follow Seth.


	80. Chapter 79 - Illegal (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 79 – Illegal (Leah)**

"You sure you want to do this?" Joshua asked.

She scowled at him. "You offered  _me_ this job, remember? You're the one who wants someone skinny and is proficient in scuba diving."

"Yes, and for the last two years you've turned me down. Only now, after you showed up at my house looking like a road map have you decided to do this. I don't want you to do something you regret."

She glowered as she crossed her arms over her chest angrily. She didn't appreciate his comment, as if a few bruises made her judgment less than proficient, but she was perfectly sound of mind. Besides, it wasn't like the asshole fisherman – and father-in-law to her cousin – could see her skin now. The long-sleeve neck-to-ankle wetsuit guaranteed he couldn't see a thing.

"Just make sure you do your job and catch some fish because I'm not going to jail over this illegal salvage we're going on." She uncrossed her arms and climbed onto Joshua's fishing boat, Leah wasn't about to keep talking her face off about her decision.

Two years ago while fishing Joshua had uncovered a hidden treasure buried beneath a craggy undersea rock. The space to get to the items was slim and wasn't a space where a man would be able to reach, which was why he'd reached out to her to begin with. The thing was, he'd never properly reported his findings, so taking the items – with the obvious intent to sell – was illegal as hell. It could land not only Joshua with serious prison time, but the rest of his crew and her as well.

She'd always refused to do it because of the very real possibility of ending up serving hard time. The thing was, she no longer cared. She  _needed_ the adrenaline rush it would give her.

She turned around to stare at Joshua who was still standing on the dock. "Come on, Joshua. Let's get this show on the road." Technically on the open sea, but she was sure he got her drift.

Leah spun and headed to the stairs leading to the small space below deck.


	81. Chapter 80 - Ten Years (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 80 – Ten Years (Seth)**

Seth huddled on his bed, after locking the door to his bedroom, trying to hide from the world around him.

He wanted to believe his brother, but at the same time he didn't know how he possibly could. Jacob had never been one to give a damn about what their sisters thought or even their deceased father. He'd never given a fuck about the elders in La Push or any of the people in Forks who thrummed their nose at him for cheating on his wife. But Seth wasn't his older brother and he didn't know how to  _not care_.

The rattling of his doorknob made him look at his door even though he knew he'd locked it.

"Unlock the door, bro. Or I'm going to break it down."

"NO!" Seth shouted burying his head in his arms. He wished he hadn't given his brother his phone because he didn't honestly want Jacob to know  _his shame_ , but he hadn't known how else to explain why Leah vanishing was on him.

Jacob sighed and Seth heard something hit the door – Seth was guessing it was his brother's forehead, as it was a pose Jacob frequented.

"I know it can be hard to accept that you're different, but it's not something to be ashamed of. In spite of the way our father felt about the subject... and I'm not debasing our father's beliefs or anything like that, but Billy grew up in a different time than we have. The connotations behind the idea of being anything other than plain vanilla heterosexual was hugely different fifty years ago."

Seth shook his head viciously – not that his big brother could see – and kept his mouth shut.

Finally Seth heard footsteps and thought his brother was giving up, but he should have known better, because a couple seconds later the footsteps got louder again.

"How's this sound? You open the door or I use this cellphone of yours and call Garrett for you. I say a date at the Lodge would be perfect for you, maybe about eight tonight, right after the quarterly Forks town council meeting – when they all adjourn and show up for dinner and drinks."

Seth's breath caught. "You wouldn't."

There was almost a minute of complete silence, and then his brother's voice – quieter than it had been, as if he was now facing away from the door. "Hey, Garrett, this is Jacob."

Seth was off his bed and to his door faster than most people would be able to gasp. He yanked his bedroom door open only to find his brother facing sideways with his cellphone pressed against his thigh – clearly not on a call. Seth tried to slam the door on his brother's face but was too slow.

Jacob grabbed the door and stepped into the bedroom, forcing Seth to backup or get run over. "I figured that would get you to open the door." He shut the door behind him, shutting them both in the bedroom.

Seth supposed he could make a dash for the bathroom and hide in there but was relatively sure it wouldn't stop Jacob for long.

Jacob leaned against the bedroom door. "How long have you known?"

"A little more than four years," Seth muttered as he continued backwards until the backs of his knees hit his bed and he sat down hard.

"Does Leah know?"

"I've never really come out and said it to her, but it's hard for her to not know. She's not exactly naive when it comes to..." he trailed off, unwilling to finish the sentence.

"Sex," Jacob finished for him. "Why didn't you come to me? You had to know I'd never judge you, bro."

"I know, but you'd want me to accept it. And I can't... I just can't."

Jacob walked over and crouched in front of him. "Seth, where do you see yourself in ten years? Married to Leah and playing house? You have to realize eventually she's going to want to have kids or end up pregnant from someone else. Then what? Are you going to continue the circle of fear and shame which was instilled in our family by our father?"

Seth had honestly never thought about it, but he curled his lip back at his brother's insinuation. He opened his mouth but Jacob beat him to it.

"It needs to stop here. You need to be able to love who you want. And this –" Jacob spread his arms wide, looking around the bedroom which was half Leah's and half his "– isn't how you're going to do that, bro."

"And what happens when our sisters find out? Our half brothers? Sue? The elders?"

"What happens if Embry or Quil discover later they're gay or bi or any other sexuality and they're too ashamed to admit it? What happens if one of them ends up killing themselves because they believe that it's so wrong they can't even look in the mirror at their own reflection?" Jacob was practically vibrating in anger as he spoke to Seth. "I can't be the one they look up to, bro. I burned  _that_ bridge, and while I'm not ashamed of the person I am, all our little brothers are ever going to see when they look at me is the guy who can't be faithful to his wife. I admit our sisters will be..." he trailed off, as if looking for the right word. "Less than enthused, but that's their problem. It  _isn't_  yours."

"Do you know what you're suggesting to me?"

"Yeah, man, I do."


	82. Chapter 81 - Meeting (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 81 – Meeting (Bella)**

Bella was debating about scheduling a doctor's appointment to check if she was pregnant as she'd almost fainted at work earlier, but she just couldn't see it. She'd failed the blood test from just a few weeks ago, well she'd had increased hcg, but not higher than what it would have been given the fertility drug she was on.

"It's just stress," she muttered under her breath. It had to be, and once tonight was done, the vast majority of it would be behind her – except the new stress of renewing her vows.

She checked her watch again, verifying the time – the asshole was going to be late. She was going to kill Edward Sr if he failed to show up. She knew if he didn't appear and give his rubber stamped backing for the memorial she wanted made for her late father, Irina wouldn't support it. Even though Irina was just a town council member because of the money she had, she'd still be the one who the town mayor looked to. No backing from Irina would mean none from the mayor, and then it would be yet another three months before she could try again.

It was the same problem she'd hit every time she'd come to these meetings. She needed the representative's approval to get this done.

Two minutes until the meeting got underway and he finally entered the town hall.

She stormed over to him. "You're almost late, Mr. Cullen."

"I'm doing you a favor so you should be nicer to me," he stated quietly, his eyes simmering.

"Actually, Mr. Cullen, you're proving how important family is to you. As I reminded you in the hospital, my father died protected Angela, the daughter of Pastor Weber, the man who took in your daughter. As far as your  _constituents_ are concerned, you supporting my request has nothing to do with me. But if that isn't encouragement enough, faking medical records is a major federal crime as I'm sure you know, and it is quite impossible to  _outgrow_ an extra chromosome, because it has to do with dna and not a disease like cancer or depression" Bella turned and walked away from him.

She quickly headed into the meeting room, taking a seat towards the front.

Other people were already in the room, including her aunt Irina and the town mayor, Benjamin Mitchell. Bella wasn't a fan of the mayor as he was a man with a lot of power but a man who failed to use any of it for the good of the people of the town without the seal of approval from the wealthy town members, namely Santiago, Felix, and her aunt, Irina. It was truly tragic, because when Benjamin had first taken over as the mayor he'd made promises to be there for the people of the town, but much like many people in power – his promises proved to be nothing but lies.

As the last people entered the meeting room Benjamin let out a shrill whistle, causing Bella to cringe as the whistle gave her an instant headache. "I call this quarterly meeting officially to order."


	83. Chapter 82 - Why Are You Here? (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: A couple of quick notes here, I've had enough comments about the extra y chromosome on FF that I thought I'd explain it here. Among the thousands of genetic disorders that exists there is one called XYY Syndrome. I first mentioned Edward's medical records showed him having this back in Chapter 16 – The Extra Y. Emmett, confused the syndrome and stated Edward had Klinfelter's Syndrome which is similar (but is actually XXY, not XYY). XYY Syndrome was originally discovered in the sixties and from the sixties well into the eighties it was often associated with violent, even sociopathic, behavior. The truth is, the violence which some people had that also had this extra chromosome is purely coincidence. Approximately one in every thousand men are born with an extra y chromosome and many of these men are perfectly normal. But it still has a stigma about it, and in a small town where many of the officials, from doctors to psychiatrists to lawyers and even police all grew up in a time when the belief of that extra chromosome causing sociopathic behavior was very real, it would be extremely easy to use that in order to make people believe the damage done to both Edward and Alice was in fact caused by Edward himself rather than a respectable politician such as his father. The thing is, he doesn't actually have that chromosome, and it's the first thing that can be really used against his father. That being said, Bella isn't going to without Edward's permission.
> 
> Also, with regard to people wanting Edward and Bella to be together, please understand we'll get there, but Edward is currently in rehab and rehab takes time, plus Bella's not quite ready to give up on Jacob quite yet – being stubborn can be it's own hindrance at times.

**Chapter 82 – Why Are You Here? (Edward)**

_**September 2nd, 2011** _

"Why are you here?" Carlisle asked.

Edward grimaced. He was  _extremely_ sick of that question. "I've told you before, because I owe it to Bella." In fact, he gave that answer almost every day, but it never satisfied Carlisle.

"And why is that?"

Right there was why it never satisfied Carlisle, because he wanted a more definitive answer than what Edward was giving – than what he would ever be willing to give.

"I just do." He crossed his arms over his chest stubbornly.

Carlisle arched a single eyebrow at him. "Not good enough, so again I ask, why are you here?"

Edward clenched his hands into fists. "Why don't you ever ask some different questions, old man?"

Carlisle's lips twitched, but his face immediately straightened out. "Because you won't be honest with me. We can't move past even the most basic of questions until you are."

Edward narrowed his eyes at Carlisle. "Fine, you want honesty then I'll give you  _honesty._ My name is not Edward Garfunkel, it's Edward Cullen and I'm the fucking son of the state representative with the same damn name."

Carlisle actually smiled at Edward's words. "I know." He got out of his chair, turning away from Edward to look at the back wall of his study. "Do you know where your father went to college?"

"Yes," Edward brow furrowed as he answered, "Cornell University."

"That's correct. And I doubt that you've spent much time paying attention to what's on my wall, which is somewhat ironic since it's usually the first place most people look when they don't want to look at me. But I went to Cornell University as well, completed my PhD there in fact. I was there from 1970 until 1980. Your father received his PhD in 1978, two years before me. Given that even in the the seventies there over fifteen thousands students going to Cornell the reality is if we'd even been in the same graduating class for the same field of study we'd likely never have met there." He pulled off two framed pictures as he spoke.

Edward's whole body was tense because the man wouldn't be telling him all of this if he didn't know his father.

Carlisle, Doctor Masen, turned back to him. "The fact that we were both in Alpha Delta Phi on the other hand, made it far more likely we knew each other, perhaps even if not friends, then at least acquaintances. Which is how I knew exactly who you were even when you claimed you were Edward Garfunkel, not that I don't know where that last name came from, because I am aware of that as well." Carlisle came around his desk, leaning against it directly in front of Edward.

"I knew who you were, Edward, from the moment Rosalie brought you into this room. You are the spitting image of your father after all, which I am sure you know." He held out one of the two photos, his finger directly underneath the head of one of the people on the edge of the photo.

Edward slowly reached out and took the photo from Carlisle, looking at the person Carlisle had been touching. If Edward had been born thirty year before he had, he would swear the man he was looking at was himself.

"So, you've known this whole time exactly who I am and you said nothing?"

"You wanted to live the lie, Edward. So I let you. I couldn't tell you that I knew who you were until you were ready to accept it yourself. I deal with many different types of people in this facility. You're hardly the first person to enter rehab believing they can get better while lying about everything that they are." Carlisle took the photo back from him, replacing it with the other.

The photo Edward was now looking at was not of a bunch of men in front a building, but a bunch of young women lined up on a staircase. Edward recognized his mother about halfway up the stairs with a woman who looked suspiciously like Esme standing beside her.

"Esme and Elizabeth were best friends and roommates at Delta Delta Delta. By the time I met Elizabeth in the fall of 1975 through your father and by consequence Esme as well, Edward and Elizabeth were already married. They'd married over the summer, you see. You father played Sprint Football with Cornell University, the first time he lost a game that fall was the first time I saw your mother with a black eye. Elizabeth always swore she fell, both to me and to Esme, who by that time I was dating, but that was when I stopped hanging out with your father. I never saw another bruise again before your father and mother both left in the spring of 1978, though it never sat well with me how Elizabeth left halfway through her bachelor's degree at the same time as your father.

"It was 1983 before Esme finished her own PhD, and it took us a year to find a building to open the rehab facility we wanted to, in Washington of all places. After we moved out here, Esme reached out to your mother, I think they talked about three or four times over the course of the next year. The last time they spoke Elizabeth was supposed to come and stay with us for a few weeks until she could get on her feet because she was planning to leave her husband. She never came though and Esme was never able to get ahold of Elizabeth again. Two years later she died in childbirth."

Edward grabbed onto the one statement in all of it that stuck out to him. "Why... why was my mom trying to leave?"

"I can only guess." He shrugged.

"Can you tell me about her? My mom?" He'd heard what cousins and even his own father had told him about his mom, but he'd never had a chance to hear info about his mom from someone who didn't think his father had hung the moon, and it was obvious from the way Carlisle spoke that he  _didn't_.

"That's not really what you're here for, Edward. But how about this? A tit for tat situation. You be honest with me and I'll give you the info you want."

Slowly, Edward nodded.

"Okay, let's try this again, then. Why are you here?"

Edward sighed and hung his head. He  _hated_ that question. "I don't know," he muttered.

Edward didn't see it, but Carlisle smiled. "We aren't there yet, but I'll take it. We're finally getting somewhere. Now, what do you want to know?"


	84. Chapter 83 - Fashion and Wealth (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 83 – Fashion and Wealth (Rosalie)**

Rosalie stretched out, trying to figure out when her bed got so comfortable. Her eyes flashed open when she remembered she'd spent the night in Emmett's house... err, loft... single room structure. She gave up trying to describe his place in her head.

In spite of her best efforts, Emmett was wearing down all of her walls.

Rosalie had always been a realist. She'd always known she'd wanted to be in the fashion industry and it was the type of passion that couldn't afford her things that many people in simpler line of work were allowed. She'd figured out she loved fashion by the time she was four years old, and four years old was the last time she'd ever dreamt of the princess wedding, the fairytale house, and the white picket fence. She'd made a choice between love and happiness or fashion and wealth. She'd decided on fashion and wealth.

She'd never regretted that decision, not in twenty-three years, but for the first time in over two decades she wanted the damn dream.  _Emmett_  made her want that dream. And she wasn't sure what to do with that, because no matter how much he made her want to believe him, there was this screaming warning in her head reminding her of exactly who he was.

Rosalie had heard him when he said he was more than the joker, she really had, but there was this large part of her waiting on another shoe to drop. Perhaps it was because she had grown up in a cop's house, but every part of her felt like he was more than just keeping a part of himself from her – which she'd completely be able to understand – but actually keeping a major and potentially dangerous secret.

Still, after they returned to Forks on the twentieth, she'd spent the last two weeks with him throwing her completely off her game. Every time she turned around he was stopping by with coffee – always decaf, the asshat – or making her go out for lunch, dinner, or staying in and watching a movie. He'd also stayed over at her place almost every night... well, until last night when he'd demanded satin sheets and dragged her back to his place instead.

Yes, she knew exactly how much of a cliche his black satin sheets were. Still, she couldn't help but admit it was the best she'd slept in weeks.

The only major negative was his continual teasing her by finding random excuses to go down on his knee at the most annoying of times. She was just about ready to pop the question herself just to stop him doing that.

Emmett was missing from the bed, she could tell without looking to her right because there was no heat beside her and he was a massive furnace anytime he was in bed – not that she was complaining.

Rosalie rolled over and curled up in the bed, intent to keep sleeping. She could get up and go home to work later... much later.


	85. Chapter 84 - Flight Plans (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 84 – Flight Plans (Alice)**

"No," Alice said again, crossing her arms stubbornly of her chest. They'd been arguing about her going to New York for an hour already.

Jasper, her handsome stranger, threw his hands up in the air in exasperation. "By the gods, Alice. You're the one that broke the law to find him. Aren't you the least bit curious to meet him?"

She was. "And he can come and visit and I'll happily meet him. We do have two spare bedrooms after all."

"He has a life in New York, Alice, has things he's involved in that can't afford to have him leave. I don't work because I can't and you can take your job with you. It would make much more sense for us to go there."

" _If_  I'd been meant to fly, I'd have been born with goddamn wings, Jasper. I'm not going to New York."

In her twenty-four years of life, she'd been on a plane exactly one time – three years ago at Rosalie's insistence so she could see the fashion shows and shoots in person when she'd been redesigning some of the pages for Rosalie's websites. She'd sworn to herself she'd never get on another plane again after that.

She'd rode back to Seattle on a train – she didn't care that it had taken almost three days to get back instead of a mere six hours.

"We could always drive."

"It's practically three thousand miles one way, Jasper. Just fly out yourself if you want to see him again so soon. I am quite fine staying here by myself."

"That solves absolutely nothing," he said, his voice get angry.

"What solves nothing?" Her voice was biting.

"I need you to come to New York with me."

"Why?"

"Because there's something I want you to see there which can't be brought here."

"What?" She narrowed her eyes, wondering just what the hell her husband had in store for her.

"It's a surprise."

"Ugh." She turned and stomped away from him, making a beeline for their bedroom so she could properly slam a pillow over her face.

"Please, Ali." She didn't have to turn around to know he was pouting, she could hear it.

And people considered her manipulative? "I don't want to," she muttered.

"I'll get the flight planned."

"That  _wasn't_  a yes."

"It wasn't a no, either." She could hear the grin in his voice.

"Asshole is stealing  _my_ lines," she grumbled under her breath as she slammed the door to their bedroom.


	86. Chapter 85 - Break (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 85 – Break (Seth)**

"My name's Seth. How may I take your order?" Seth couldn't quite put the right amount of cheer in his words, but the pain in his hand easily kept him from being able to do it.

"A Chai Latte, please," the girl in front of the cash register said.

He quickly rang it up and got her change after she handed him a five. He turned and headed to the machine, cups, and syrups to make her drink.

He hadn't been home in three days. Seth had tried to break his engagement off with Leah as gently as possible after she'd come home – from fishing of all things – but he'd known he'd failed well before she'd started screaming at him and then slammed his hand in a door when he'd tried to give her space.

He was fairly sure that there were bones in his middle, ring, and pinkie finger on his left hand which were broken, but he hadn't went to get it checked out.

Seth didn't want Jacob to know Leah had hurt him, because he understood only all too well that he'd hurt her. Even though there'd been a complacent agreement from the beginning that he would likely never truly be able to love her, she'd assumed their relationship was firm and he would always be there. Then he'd gone and pulled the rug out from under her completely. If he'd been thinking clearly about it, he wouldn't have brought it up to her until he was certain she was happy.

Unfortunately, if he went to a doctor, there would be no way it wouldn't get back to Rachel who still controlled his medical insurance and she'd definitely tell Jacob. Between the nightmare that would ensue if his big brother discovered he'd been hurt and the reality that it would guarantee Rachel would find out he was gay quicker than he was ready to tell her, he absolutely refused to go that route. He needed to have Leah's backing just as much as he needed to have his brother's when he finally admitted to Rachel and her boyfriend – correction, fiance – Paul about his sexuality. Seth knew if he just gave Leah time to cool off, she'd be profusely sorry for what she did and she'd back him up with his decision... she just needed time. He was giving her time.

He'd wrapped his hand in an athletic bandage and forced himself to ignore the continuous throbbing pain as he went about his school, work and even sleep. He'd been making the coffee drinks at his job one handed to keep from drawing attention to his injury, and he'd been sleeping on a bench at school for the last couple of days.

He'd also hid the injury from Garrett, which was relatively easy given that Garrett had gone to Portland, OR at the start of the week to be a guest lecturer at Portland State University, which meant he hadn't even yet seen Seth since it all had happened.

Of course, he wasn't sure how he'd hide it when Garrett got back. Seth wasn't exactly sure when that was supposed to be though as he'd originally been supposed to come back yesterday, but had texted Seth mid evening that he'd been delayed and it would supposedly be a few days more.

Seth carefully finished making the Chai Latte, setting it down on the counter so the girl could pick it up, and then went back to the cash register to take the next order.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: For the record, I've posted an updated character list for this story on my blog, anewrebirth.blogspot.com. The list includes every character so far mentioned and a few who haven't been talked about yet.


	87. Chapter 86 - Past (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 86 – Past (Emmett)**

Emmett had left Rosalie sleeping at his place when he went to work for the day.

For the vast majority of his adult life, Emmett had been extremely careful. Yes, he'd been the kind of guy who was more than willing to sleep with just about anyone, but he'd always practiced safe sex. Still, as he'd started to come to terms with the fact that Rosalie was pregnant with his kid, he started to wonder, because there had been a time when he hadn't been as safe.

The thing was, everybody had a past, from Edward's alleged medical history to Jasper's history in the army – of which Emmett knew only the bare minimum about – to the tragic loss of Rosalie and Bella's father. Being the chief of police in Forks meant Emmett was aware of most of it.

He was sure it worked differently in larger cities, but Forks was a small town, barely three thousand people, and as such he knew a lot. In many ways, he felt that he needed to know so much simply so he could avoid his mother, Felix, and a handful of others. He was good at avoiding those people.

But, he had a past just like everyone else and he'd been sexually active since he was sixteen.

During the summer between his sophomore and junior year, after he'd turned sixteen, he'd spent the summer being a normal teenage boy, desperate to get some money so could buy a car, have fun, etc. His mother had told him from the start that if he wanted a car he'd have to get his own money to buy one.

So he'd found a job at the local bakery which had been in the town of Forks for almost eighty years. The owner and sole proprietor of the bakery had been Vera Shaw, the fourth generation to own the bakery. She had moved back to Forks only about six months before after her parents had died suddenly in a car accident. Vera had only been twenty-one but she'd been worldly in a way that no one he'd ever met before had been.

She'd spent a year in Paris, went to college in Los Angeles, and spoke four languages fluently. Emmett had been infatuated with her. And that summer she'd been his first, well... everything. But the summer had ended and Emmett had quit his job with her so he could focus on his schooling.

It had been after that when Rosalie had started her freshman year of high school, and it had been only then that he'd noticed her for the first time; though he was sure she'd gone to the same elementary school and even junior high as he had. There was only one of each in Forks and he knew Rosalie had grown up in Forks the same way he had.

A few months after he'd started his junior year at school, the town bakery had closed up and Vera had left town. The official notification in the Forks Forum had been that she'd decided to go back to school, but the high school rumor mill had given a much different story.

Emmett had always chosen to ignore it.

Now on the other hand, he needed to know. So he signed into the police database and typed in one name.  _Vera Shaw._


	88. Chapter 87 - To Spite Your Face (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 87 – To Spite Your Face (Leah)**

Leah had never been the kind of person to tell anyone she was wrong, never had been the kind to say she was sorry, and never been the type to admit her weaknesses. Instead she was the kind to lash out, get revenge, and exact her anger, even when it was often at her own expense.

She was the type to cut off her own nose just to spite her face and she knew it. She'd known it long before the college shrink had told her she had daddy issues – well, that was her abbreviated version of how he'd categorized her – during the one week she'd spent at college.

Leah told everyone she'd decided to take a couple of years off of college while she decided what she wanted to do with her life. It was her story, but the truth was, she had no intention of going back to college. Her one week at Brown University, a full ride scholarship because of her high GPA and native heritage, had told her all she needed to know about college. She did not need some cushy councilor who'd probably grown up with  _at least_ one loving parent to tell her who she was or what was wrong with her.

And she knew, on one level at least, that her mom loved her but from the earliest Leah could remember, Sue had gone through phases with her. There were times where her mother wouldn't let her out of her sight, wouldn't let her play or have friends or anything, and then there were the far more often times where Sue refused to acknowledge Leah's presence. It had taken until Leah had met Joshua Uley, her third cousin once removed on her mom's side to understand the why behind it all. Because apparently, even though she was a girl, she had far more of her father's features than her mom's – making her an ever present reminder of the husband her mom had lost. She'd only been six when she'd finally figured it out and after that she'd tried to stay out of her mom's way as much as possible.

After her mom had gotten together with Billy, she'd quickly attached herself to him, but he already had four kids of his own and really hadn't had any time for her. What little attention he was able to give her kept her wishing for more, but then he'd died as well and she'd been left adrift.

Leah had never had anyone in her life that she'd been able to truly rely on – until after Seth had moved in with her. Yes, she'd known he was gay even though he'd never said it to her, but when he'd offered to marry her – given her a ring and everything – he'd been the one rock in the turbulent storm of meaningless family, friends, crushes and loves which she'd always had.

Seth was afraid of his own sexuality, she'd figured that out from the beginning, and so she'd expected him to  _stay_  in their content companion based relationship indefinitely. But he'd apparently decided he wasn't content or... she wasn't certain  _what_  had really happened while she'd been off with Joshua pulling up the buried treasure of vases – or possibly urns – coins, jewelry, and old bottles from the shipwreck he'd found.

So when he'd told her to keep the ring but he'd decided he couldn't continue to live a lie she'd done what she always did best – she'd lashed out. She'd called him every insulting name she could think of, starting with fag, slammed the bedroom door on his hand – if she'd heard something crunch she'd chosen to believe it was her own vindictive imagination – when he'd tried to make an escape, smashed his x-box and two lamps which had belonged to his mom after he left, and then tried to smash the ring for good measure.

Leah had always assumed the ring was a fake, after all, neither Seth nor her were exactly swimming in dough, but after slamming a hammer into the little silver band with the light blue green gem on top and smaller white gem on either side didn't damage it, she realized they had to be real diamonds.

Which for some unfathomable reason only served to irritate her more.

She'd thrown over half of his stuff outside before she'd finally cooled down enough to move his things into the second bedroom instead. If she'd spent a few hours on ebay to find a new set of lamps that night to replace the ones she broke... she wasn't about to admit it.

She hoped the items got to the apartment before he got back from wherever he'd gone off to, because she knew destroying his stuff was one sure thing which would probably ruin whatever could be salvaged of their friendship. And even though she wasn't ever going to  _apologize –_ after all, he'd pissed her off – she was sorry.

Unfortunately, unless he stayed gone for at least a few more days, she wouldn't be there to get them out of the shipping box because she was currently on Joshua's fishing boat again. She wasn't even sure if she was there to go scuba diving again, or just to fish. All she knew was the water was an outlet she was actually able to use.


	89. Chapter 88 - Don't Ask (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 88 – Don't Ask (Bella)**

She probably should have chosen a different time to tell Jacob, but she'd honestly been debating about telling him at all.

She rolled away from where she was cuddled into him and looked up at the ceiling. "I'm going to go to Seattle tomorrow."

"Oh?" She knew immediately he hadn't put it together, because his voice was only mildly curious.

"I... need to go check on Edward."

"Why?" It was amazing how much rage, insecurity, and jealousy could be wrapped up in that single snarled word.

"I'm his friend, Jake. I've been his friend for a long time. I'm also his medical power of attorney and he's been at that rehab center for a solid month as of tomorrow. I owe it to him as both to check on him."

"And you owe it to him as his lover," he stated bitterly.

Bella rolled on her side to stare at him. "You want us to have this second chance than you need to not be jealous. We  _both_  have a past, and if we're going to start whipping out judgment here than I'm pretty sure my hammer is going to be a hell of a lot larger than yours."

"I've called it off with Leah," he retorted.

"She's still in a relationship with your little brother, they're still living together, and I suspect you still think of her as your friend. If you expect me to believe that you're not going to have any interaction with her anymore than you must think I was born last night."

"I'm not deliberately seeking her out," he spat as he sat up to stare at Bella.

"Jacob William Black, he's in a  _rehab center_. I sincerely doubt there's anywhere that something other than a  _hug_  might occur." She slowly sat up to stare him down.

"And if I ask you not to go?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Don't ask me to choose between the two of you, Jacob, you won't like the end result."

"Which means you'd choose him."

"Does it? Because the way I see it, Jake, if I was to choose him, you and I would likely still be friends. But think about what it would mean for  _anything_  with regards to our relationship if I actually chose you? I'd hate you for it, and we both know it. So I think the choice you should fear more is me choosing you. Don't put me in that position." She got up off the bed and headed to the bathroom without waiting for a response from him.

She slammed the bathroom door behind her.


	90. Chapter 89 - The Pipe Dream (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 89 – The Pipe Dream (Jasper)**

_**September 3rd, 2011** _

Jasper would be the first person to tell anyone that there were no guarantees in life, least of all, having a tomorrow. It was true, as he'd told Peter, his memory of the time in the caverns was spotty at best, but he did could remember enough. He'd seen exactly how fast a life could end.

When he'd signed up to join the army in late 2001 after the tragedy that befell New York, he'd signed up for the pipe dream, honor and glory and all of that. He'd probably only been in Iraq for a week when he'd realized there was no honor or glory in war. That was the first time he watched a kid – no more than eight years old – blow himself up in the name Allah.

Three years as a soldier and a fourth as a prisoner of war and he'd learned a hell of a lot about life, death, pain, sadness, and still... even after he'd realized just how damaged his Little Miss really was, he'd asked for her hand. He'd do it again, in a heartbeat.

And in four years of marriage, he'd never once regretted that decision.

However, there had been a point when they'd still just been going out on dates, before he knew of her scars, when they'd talked about the future she wanted. She'd claimed she'd wanted kids someday, that she'd wanted a full house with – in her exact words – two point five kids, then a dog and finally a goldfish... and perhaps a cat. She'd painted an extremely pretty picture, and he'd wanted it all with her.

Later, he'd found out the truth, found out just how damaged she really was, and those pretty words had been pushed away.

But as he'd helped out Peter and Charlotte at the little rundown halfway house – it wasn't an actual orphanage, no matter what the sign said – those early conversations had come back to him.

He wasn't sure whether Alice and him could fit a child into their lives, but there'd been something about the little Somalian girl whose name was Maysun that had caused his heart to go out to her. He'd seen so many children like her when he'd been serving – afraid of everything, even their own shadow – and he wanted to try and save her.

But first, he needed Alice with him in New York, because the daunting task of trying to adopt a child had to be an all in kind of thing. Jasper couldn't do it alone – if he was completely honest with himself, he wouldn't even if he could – it needed to be a joint effort between Alice and him.

She had to meet the kids before anything else. So he had to get her to New York, and even though he'd bought the tickets for their flight yesterday he knew he was in for another fight when they got to the airport.

He smiled indulgently at the thought, because he doubted she got it, but he loved her with all her barbs even more.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick note here, next couple of days are Christmas time, with that being said, while I'm not saying I won't get posts out, I'm making no guarantees as to if it will happen.


	91. Chapter 90 - Awakened (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: A quick note with regard to Garrett. I had someone ask about if he is or isn't major. I wanted to officially answer this. In a lot of traditional stories, there's usually one or two perspectives you get to see through and then there are certain other characters who play major roles without hearing their voices, so to speak. For the purposes of this story, I sort of went a completely different direction than that, and since I'm showing the voice of nine characters, they're the only ones I consider to be truly major. But with that being said, there are still certain other characters which have relatively large roles such as Peter, Maggie, Carlisle, Edward Sr, etc... and Garrett has one of the largest, both because he's the first person to really pull Seth out of his shell and because he's Emmett's and Jasper's brother.

**Chapter 90 – Awakened (Seth)**

He woke up to someone shaking him.

"Come on, Seth, wake up." The low murmur was a voice he knew he was supposed to recognize, but was unable to place.

Seth slowly opened his eyes to find Garrett staring at him worriedly.

"Garrett, what..." His mind was slow, the chill from the night before having settled deep in his bones. Even though he'd sought cover in one of the doorways from the light rain that had started coming down midway through the night, sleeping out in last night's cold had effected him more than he thought it would.

"That's what I want to know. Why are you sleeping outside on campus, Seth?"

"My fiancee, well ex-fiancee now, got mad at me when I broke it off – didn't do it right, I guess. Been giving her time to cool off before going home." Seth wasn't at all sure what he said made any sense, though he knew he hadn't previously told Garrett he was engaged. Some part of him knew he should have explained it to him better than he just had.

Garrett didn't comment on Seth's revelation of his relationship status though. "How long ago was this?"

"Four days ago... I think."

Garrett's teeth came together. "You mean you've been sleeping outside for four days? Why didn't you tell me?" He shook his head, obviously aggravated. "Never mind, let's get you inside and out of this chill."

Seth slowly got up, carefully keeping from putting weight on his injured hand. Garrett's eyes tracked his movements before stepping around him and unlocking the door to the building he had sought refuge hiding in.

Seth hadn't realized when he'd fallen asleep in the doorway that it had been the door to Garrett's pottery room, but he supposed it had to be some sort of kismet.

He followed Garrett into his classroom.

"Let me see that hand," Garrett muttered, grabbing his hand before Seth could properly shake his head no. "Why the hell haven't you been staying at a motel or something?"

Seth shrugged, unwilling to explain that he still owed close to two grand for the ring he'd got for Leah – that almost every dime he made went into either paying for his portion of the rent or making his monthly payment for the ring.

Luckily for Seth, Garrett wasn't paying attention to his non-response because he was too busy looking at his hand.

"How long has this been broken?"

"About four days," he muttered under his breath.

That got Garrett's attention, as he quickly looked into Seth's eyes. "So let me get this straight. The same day you break it off with your fiancee, she breaks your hand? That happen before or after you break it off?"

Seth shook his head mutely.

"After then. We'll talk about  _all_ of that later. Now though, we need to take you to the hospital to get this checked out. Hopefully it hasn't already started to heal wrong. Re-breaking bones is painful."

"NO!" Seth said, yanking his hand out Garrett's grasp as he backed up. The sudden pull causing stinging pain to run through his hand. He let out a cry and quickly cradled his hand to his chest with the other.

"Seth, that won't heal right if it isn't set," he said gently.

"I don't care. My sister will find out if I use my insurance. She  _can't_  find out."

Garret crossed his arms over his chest, staring Seth down. "You can either come with me of your own free will or I can carry you to my car, but one way or another, you're getting that set."

Seth shook his head again, but when Garrett's eyes narrowed at him, his shoulders deflated.


	92. Chapter 91 - Torn in Two (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 91 – Torn in Two (Bella)**

She was nervous to see Edward for many reasons, not the least of which was the fact that she felt like she was torn in two.

In spite of the fact that she'd told Jacob not to ask, she'd heard his opinion – his desire – loud and clear, so she completely understood what he wanted. Part of her sincerely wanted to honor his wish, but she owed Edward better than that.

She'd known both Jacob and Edward from the time she'd first moved to Forks. Edward and Alice had been the first two people in school she'd connected with, before Jessica, Angela, Eric, Ben, Katie or Mike. Edward had been the shy boy who refused to meet anyone's eyes, while Alice had been outgoing in such a way that she was more troublemaker than anything else. Bella had found an immediate kinship with both of them, even before she'd discovered what their father was doing to them.

Meanwhile she'd met Jacob because his dad and hers were best friends. Jacob had been outgoing, loving, and friendly from the very beginning. He'd always been fun, teasing even. She could remember days playing in mud, getting dunked into tidal pools, and playing with the pups he'd found one summer in an old abandoned cabin as well as feeding them – the mom to the pups had never made an appearance.

When she'd aged, even as the steadfast friendship she'd had with Alice had grown stronger with each passing day, the much larger reality of slowly falling in love with not one but two different boys became very apparent.

Jacob and Edward both had a part of her heart, and she loved them in equal measure, as a young teenager, Jacob had been a refreshing sun and the light in her life – the good guy – and Edward had been the one that she'd wanted to save, the one with issues – the bad boy. She'd  _tried_ to save him, and she still wondered if their story would be extremely different now had his father not been so prepared for everything.

At the end of the day though, when Jacob had asked for her hand, she'd chosen him. She'd both been happy with the choice she'd made and regretted it in equal measure for a long time.

She was hardly the first person to love two people at once, in spite of the fact that some people believed in the antiquated idea that a person could only ever love one person at a time.

Still, until she'd blurred the line with Edward after Jacob had started cheating on her, she'd never felt guilty for her love, because before then, it had been simple, pure and clean. Now though, she felt like she owed them both better than she could give either. Unfortunately, she wasn't sure how to do that.

No matter what... she was going to end up hurting one of them.

She pulled off the side of the road just outside of Olympia and yanked open the door to her truck, quickly getting out of the vehicle. She walked away from the vehicle, trying to talk herself into driving the rest of the way to see her best friend.


	93. Chapter 92 - Ground Work (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 92 – Ground Work (Jacob)**

"Remind me again, why didn't you buy a fucking property that was already cleared?" Paul asked.

"Fuck you, asshole," Jacob grumbled. He knew he needed Paul's help to get the forest cleared, but he really wasn't much of a fan of Rachel's fiance.

There'd been a time when he'd been friend – not close, mind you – of Paul, but times had changed and after Paul had first gone hard on the alcohol, then been charged with an assault, and finally started dating his older sister, Jacob had lost any modicum of respect or trust that he'd ever had for the man.

To top all that off, Jacob wasn't really in the mood to deal with his soon-to-be brother-in-law, but the sooner he got the basics done with the property, the sooner he'd be able to get to work on actual construction... Yet another thing he was going to need Paul's help with.

"This property was a hell of a lot cheaper than something already deforested would have been.. I'm not exactly swimming in the dough, especially now that I'm no longer working for Dowling," he finally answered.

"Well... why were you a stupid idiot who got your ass fired?"

"I didn't. I walked out because I got sick of putting up with his bullshit. I guarantee if you had worked with him, you wouldn't have lasted the five years I did." He knew Paul had more of a temper than him

"That's why I started my own construction company, Jake, my man –" Jacob grimaced at the almost familial term "– but given how you've stuck with it for five years, I'd have thought you'd be smart enough to wait to tell him off until after you had your own shop built."

"I had a moment of weakness," Jacob muttered.

Paul snorted.

"Enough commentary on my choices. Are you helping me clear this or am I telling Rachel all the details on that assault charge of yours?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

"You wouldn't."

"Wouldn't I?"

"The only way you could possibly know as much as you do is if you'd been there, which is why you've kept your mouth shut all along."

"You're right, the last thing I want to do is admit to my big sis that I was at a strip club when I was barely twenty, but in all honesty, it's not like I'm protecting my reputation. That ship sailed, Paul. Therefore, there really isn't much stopping me from telling her every little detail." The truth was Jacob had told Rachel everything the instant he'd found out she was dating Paul, because even though he knew Paul – the asshole – would never normally do such a thing, he'd felt Rachel had deserved the truth. After he'd told her and she'd decided it didn't matter, he'd pinkie-sworn his sister to secrecy. The best thing, it made for excellent blackmail material as a result.

Paul groaned but finally muttered, "Okay, let me call in some of my workers."


	94. Chapter 93 - First Visit (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 93 – First Visit (Edward)**

He'd been staring at his journal for what felt like hours, not writing anything, when Esme tapped on his shoulder.

"You have a visitor here to see you, Edward," she said softly.

Edward's brow furrowed. "Who is it?"

"Come and see for yourself."

Edward frowned but got up and followed her from the alcove he used to write in for some semblance of privacy. He walked with Esme to the sun room or day room, depending on who he asked, contemplating to himself who might be visiting, believing it might be his twin or even Rosalie.

Finally he stepped out into the glassed-in recessed side room off of the day room as Esme motioned him to head inside.

"Bella?" It honestly should have been the first person he'd expect to visit, but he knew he'd scared her and hurt her both between the coma he'd been in and his decision to check himself out once he'd woke up. And even though Bella always forgave eventually, the last time he'd done scared her, she'd disappeared from his life for three months.

Bella got off the bench she'd been sitting on and stepped over, hugging him tightly. He hugged her back, clinging on for dear life. She pulled back after a moment – too soon for his liking – and took a huge step backwards, forcing some distance between them .

He looked her over, noticing the distinctive, yet ever so slight, bump that her tight tee was showing. "Are you pregnant?" he asked before he had a chance to think better of it.

"No, apparently I stress eat."

He'd never seen her stress eat, not in fifteen years of friendship. He opened his mouth to tell her as much, but she spoke before he could.

"It's good to see you clean and sober, Edward." She sounded anxious as she spoke.

"Bella, what's going on?"

"Look... I'm sorry, okay?" She shook her head. "I'm just... sorry."

He didn't understand what she was apologizing for. Had she told his dad where he was at? Or what? "Why are you sorry?

She looked away from him. "Edward, can you tell me how many times we've been together, intimately?"

There were times, when he was high on certain drugs where he could remember practically everything about his life in a clarity that was practically supernatural, but most drugs left his mind as complete mush, and he tended to repress even the good memories of any time he was actually mostly clean – it was just easier. And he wasn't high on anything at the moment. "I'm not sure."

"Four, and only three of those times were in the last couple of years." She sighed, her shoulders sagging slightly. "Do you remember the last time we were together? What you said?"

He racked his brain, he was pretty sure it had been about four months ago as he remembered her showing up at his place upset, but he couldn't remember all that much. He knew he was failing whatever test she was giving him, but finally he shrugged.

He saw her eyes glitter slightly before she closed them and shook her head. "I wish you did remember... Tell me something else, how many times have I ever procured drugs for you?"

"Once," he answered instantly. He knew  _that one_. He could still remember the three months she'd refused to talk to him afterwards.

She laughed. "Isn't that sad, the one thing you know has to do with your addiction?"

He flinched, knowing he should correct her and explain why he knew it so well, but he couldn't force himself to say it.

"I –" she looked at him, her eyes hard and no longer showing the unshed tears he'd seen only moments earlier "– will always be your friend, Edward. Always. But our relationship... or whatever it is we've had for these last couple of years... is over."

"What? Why? I'm getting better for you."

"Tell me something, if I handed you an LSD strip right now, would you throw it away?"

He knew the correct answer to give was yes, he knew he  _should_  answer in the affirmative, but he couldn't lie to Bella.

Bella smiled sadly after several seconds when he still didn't respond. "Edward, I believe you'll be clean for as long as you're in here... but you have to actually want it to stay that way, and I think we both know that you don't... So there's that. But ultimately, it's about Jake. I made a vow to him five years ago that it was till death due us part and you know I keep my promises. I've only ever broke one."

"You got Alice out," he said, instantly refuting her belief that she'd broke the promise he knew she was referencing.

"And I promised to get you both away from him."

He shrugged. He'd never blamed her for the fact that it had failed, none of them could have known how well his father had been prepared. "But you already broke your vow to Jake," he said, getting back to the main subject.

"I never promised to be faithful, Edward. And neither did he. That's the beauty of us writing our own vows, we both left certain things out that we didn't think we'd need to say. That's probably gonna change soon though. I know this probably wasn't the best time to tell you that, but you needed to know." She shrugged and looked away.

After a complete silence – which was probably a lot shorter than it felt to him – where he wasn't sure whether to scream at her or run away she finally spoke again, "Anyways, there's something else I need to talk to you about."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: To any people who are wondering if Bella's and Edward's relationship is over, please refer back to the author's note from Chapter 35 – Baseline (Jacob).


	95. Chapter 94 - Revelation (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Last chapter in 2018!

**Chapter 94 – Revelation (Seth)**

He couldn't stop staring at everything. Garrett's apartment was  _small –_ as in only three rooms and probably less than five hundred square feet total. A bedroom, a bathroom, and a living/dining/kitchen space. Yet, for as small as it was, it was immaculate. There were paintings on the walls that had to each cost a small fortune – he was ninety percent certain one was a Claude Monet and he could tell without touching it that it was an actual painting and not a print – the couch was a fine leather, the kitchen with a marble top, and everything else just as fancy. There were also vases and other statues in the main room.

Seth walked over to one of the vases on a bookcase – with zero books – looking at the traditional hourglass shaped item with the abstract art designed to look like a person on it. "This is a Picasso." He was severely tempted to pick it up, wanting to hold something made by such a classic artist, but wouldn't dare because he only had one hand to pick it up with at the moment. His other was in a cast.

"Yes it is, as is that one on the top with the front spout painted to look sort of like a cow... or a platypus."

Seth looked up at the one on the top of the bookcase that Garret was talking about and immediately decided it was a duck. "I'm surprised my sister didn't show today while I was at the hospital."

"That's because she doesn't know. You may have noticed I never asked for your insurance." He paused for a moment before shrugging. "They're going to bill me for it."

Seth's eyes widened. "But I can't –"

Garrett's finger on his lips stopped him. "I'm not asking you to pay me back, Seth. You sounded freaked out at the idea of your sister finding out so I took care of it. As you can see, I'm not exactly broke."

The Claude Monet – with many of his painting worth in the tens of millions – had given him that picture quite well. The question that Seth couldn't answer though was how, because he knew a professor, while maybe able to splurge on a ten thousand dollar vase once every couple of years, certainly didn't make the kind of money to buy very expensive paintings.

"How?"

"When James' mom, my grandma, died a few years back, she left a lot to Emmett and I, though Emmett doesn't flaunt it the way I do. I like fine things, fine food, expensive wine... and it's not like I'll get to take any of it with me when I go, anyways." There was a bitter note at the end.

Seth looked around, wondering where he was going to sleep, he'd come back to Garrett's house with him after Garrett told him he wasn't allowed to sleep outside again.

"Umm..." he started, but Garrett spoke over him, suddenly nervous.

"You can take my bed if you want and I can sleep on the couch or we can both sleep on the bed."

Seth immediately shook his head, terrified. Even though he'd messed around with Austin off and on for over four years, they'd never done anything more than hand and blow jobs... and rimming once. He honestly didn't know how to admit to Garrett about his lack of experience.

Garrett's hand pressed gently against Seth's neck, stopping him from shaking it. "Just sleep, Seth. We don't have to do anything if you don't want to."

Garrett's words should have calmed Seth, he knew, but for some reason he didn't understand himself, it practically had the opposite effect.

"But –" Garrett started before Seth could hyperventilate "– if we end up doing stuff than I need to tell you something first. I am HIV positive, which is something that scares a lot of people, but the reality is that it's nowhere near as bad as most people tend to think it is. I've had HIV for a long time, Seth, and with the meds I'm on, most days I'm as normal as anybody else. No one I've been with has ever contracted it from me. I'm careful and always suit up, but the reality is that most likely even if a mistake happened and a condom was forgotten, meds help to keep the load count low so that it would be highly unlikely for someone to get the disease from one mistake. For that matter, I'm versatile. If you don't want to take any sort of noticeable risk, you can top – still technically a risk, but nowhere near as much of one. Or, like I said, we don't have to do anything."

At some point while Garrett was talking Seth was pretty sure he had stopped breathing.

"I can see I've freaked you out. Like I said, if you want, I can take the couch and you can take the bed."

Seth could tell he should reply, that Garrett was waiting for him to say something, but he was pretty sure he was about to pass out. He couldn't make himself take a breath.

"Hell," Garrett muttered. "I'll take you to a hotel for the night. I'll pay for it and everything. Just breath, okay? You don't have to touch my furniture, you don't have to touch me if you don't want to, you have nothing to be afraid of."

Something about Garrett's pained and yet entirely too calm words told Seth it wasn't the first time he'd had this exact conversation. It was enough to make Seth close his eyes and take a breath

Seth opened his eyes again, looking up into Garrett's eyes – as pained as his voice been just a little before.

"I want to stay," he barely could utter the words – shock more than fear keeping him from being more definitive about it.

He saw the hope in Garrett's eye before he hugged him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm not normally one to do PSAs, but HIV/AIDs is a topic that's really important to me. So I wanted to point out that I am not blowing smoke up anyone with what I've said, both here and in the Garrett POV Cut-take. If you are, like me, someone who grew up in the nineties, you probably grew up being taught about how deadly and dangerous it is, and while none of that is untrue, in the last decade there have been several meds that have revolutionized how the disease effects people. With drugs like truvada and isentress, it is entirely possible for a person to live a practically normal and long life as long as it's caught early enough. And as long as safe practices are used it is safe to be in a relationship with someone who has the disease. Also, as of 2012 in the US truvada was legalized for prescription use as an effective preventative for people who are in an active sexual relationship with someone who has HIV and a couple years later in Canada. Sadly there are a lot of countries that don't yet have that option, but I hope someday it occurs.


	96. Chapter 95 - Shoes (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 95 – Shoes (Alice)**

_**September 5th, 2011** _

She spat the water out after gargling, still trying to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth. She was going to take a train back to Seattle, fuck the flying crap.

Leaning against the wall was her husband, his eyes were sparkling with laughter.

"This isn't funny," she snarled

"I told you not to get drunk."

"Well I  _needed it._ " When they'd been up in the air the night before for only about an hour and the jet had rocked like a blade of grass in the wind, the mini-bottles of alcohol had become an instant necessity. She wasn't sure the exact number she'd had, enough to fill the tray though, and with each having two ounces of hard liquor in them... her upset stomach was little wonder this morning.

"It was only a little bit of mild turbulence." She could see Jasper fighting to keep a straight face as he spoke... and failing miserably.

"Well you can take your mild turbulence and shove it up that shiny white ass of yours." She raised her finger at him, completely unamused by the fact that he found it funny.

He started to laugh.

"You owe me shoes," she threatened. "Lots and lots of shoes. And I'm talking Prada, Jimmy Choos, Christian Louboutin, Louis Vuitton, Gucci, Miu Miu, and any other brand I can get my hands on!"

He grinned wryly. "I'm sure my mom can get you an appointment with a shoe store. Of course, that likely means you'd have to fly back. Buses and stuff generally have a limit to how much luggage you can carry."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "I hate you right now."

"You won't after you see the surprise."

"So you say, I'm still waiting for it though. When exactly do I get to see this surprise." She knew she was being prissy, but – between the hangover, feeling sick, and the thought of eventually having to get on another airplane – she figured she was well within her rights.

He grinned at her attitude. She was quite certain her not-so-handsome and highly sadistic stranger was enjoying her misery a little too much.

"As soon as your hangover is gone. I'd hate to see you try and bite off Peter's head at the current moment."

"I'll bite your head off if you aren't careful," she grumbled under her breath.

He grinned even wider.


	97. Chapter 96 - Claim (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 96 – Claim (Emmett)**

The picture of the twelve year old girl he'd printed off of Facebook didn't look like him. She also didn't look like her mother, Vera. No, this girl with the wavy and wild chestnut locks, long limbs, and thin body was the spitting image of his mother. The only difference was that Victoria had red hair.

Growing up he'd seen enough pictures of him mom as a kid to know his eyes weren't playing tricks on him.

He wasn't sure what to do with the info either. Of course, he'd decided to look Vera up, so it was no one's fault but his own for having the truth confirmed... and yet, he'd hoped to discover a much different truth.

If the girl, Bree Shaw – with zilch for protection on her Facebook account – didn't look so close to how his mother did at that age he could claim that she wasn't his, but there was no way whatsoever for him to deny it, as the evidence in the photo was irrefutable.

It was the largest pill he'd ever had to swallow – he knew he was going to be father in a few months time, but he'd had no idea he'd apparently been a father for twelve years already. Thirteen years ago when he apparently knocked up Vera, he'd been a kid himself, and if he'd known that the rumors back then about her being pregnant had been true he's not sure he would have done anything. What sixteen year-old boy would want to be a father at barely seventeen?

The reality was though, that wasn't the bad part, the bad part was he didn't know what to do with the information now that he had it. He wasn't sure he wanted to be a part of a soon to be teenage girl's life who'd probably never been told a thing about him. And even if he did want to be a part of her life, he wasn't sure if he could be. Every state had different terms for the latest when a father could make a legal claim for a child, some states allowed it clear up until the child was a legal adult, but many states had a limit.

He knew one thing for certain, whether he chose to do something about it or not, he  _should_ tell Rosalie. He just wasn't sure he wanted to.


	98. Chapter 97 - The Cut (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 97 – The Cut (Leah)**

Leah crossed her arms over her chest and glared at Joshua.

"Twenty percent, that was what we shook on. Don't you dare short me."

"Well... I wasn't completely thinking about it when I agreed to pay you that much. I have a crew of four men, not including you or myself, plus general upkeep of the ship, fuel, etc."

"None of them, including you, would have even been able to get to those items without me. Trust me when I tell you that you don't want me reporting you. I know exactly what some of those items were worth, and I know just just how illegal pulling that stuff up without notifying the proper authorities was."

"You report me and you'll get in trouble too."

"Oh really? Because the way  _I_  see it, I've been working for you for about a month now, not only doing illicit business but fishing, which makes me your legal employee. Therefore, I'm protected by whistle blowers laws. I may look like a dumb girl who always does stupid things, but in case you forgot, I graduated with a prefect grade and would likely be a member of mensa if I'd just bother to test in." The truth was, none of his crew would be protected as they'd all helped with the implicit theft of items that didn't belong to them, but she doubted he knew that. Besides, she would still report him just to spite him if he didn't pay her what he'd originally agreed to. She smiled viciously. "And if knowledge ain't enough on it's own than let me remind you, I can cry better than you any damn day."

"Look, I'm more than willing to give you fifteen percent, but like I said, I have expenses."

"Do you think I won't go through with reporting you? I assure you I will. Twenty percent. If you have  _expenses_ than I suggest you take it from  _your cut_." She needed the money to get a new cell phone and likely a new car as she was still short her car. It would also give her the money to pay for replacements on all the identifying cards that had been in her wallet – an extremely annoying fact that the vehicle licensing department and social security required money to replace lost cards when credit card companies didn't.

He glowered at her angrily, but she didn't back down. If he honestly thought he could scare her than he'd forgotten who her mom was. "Fine," he finally muttered angrily.

"Good. I expect the cash tonight." She turned her back on him and stomped off, intent to head home so she could hopefully unpack a couple of lamps and an x-box.


	99. Chapter 98 - Foot in Mouth (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 98 – Foot in Mouth (Rosalie)**

She hung up the phone with Maggie, shaking her head. She'd unfortunately been expecting the lawsuit from Siobhan so Maggie's notification to her hadn't come as the least bit of a surprise. Still, she wasn't exactly happy about it.

At four and a half months pregnant, being ticked brought on tears, which made her angry at herself – which, in turn, brought on even more tears. She absolutely  _hated_  being hormonal.

The sound of her front door creaking open should have concerned her, except she knew it was Emmett. His continuing insistence to come over at all different and random times had finally led her to the decision to just give him a spare key two days prior rather than continuing to get up from whatever she was working on whenever the damn doorbell rang.

She turned to look at him as he entered her office, still in his police uniform, a bouquet of calla lilies in his hand. He'd been trying to figure out her favorite flower ever since they'd returned to Forks. The problem was, he kept on going for beautiful, elegant, and refined, and her taste in flower was far simpler than that – in fact, her two favorites were among the cheapest flowers a person could get. Still... calla lilies were beautiful.

"You appear to be in a bad mood, what's wrong?" he asked.

She hated how well he could read her almost as much as she hated the damn hormones. "Siobhan has filed a lawsuit against me. Actually, against my company."

"Hmm."

She'd told him all about the fiasco that was Siobhan Walsh about a week ago and she could see the wheels turning in his head as he tried to figure out the proper response. She wasn't about to admit she could read him as well as he did her, but she could see him about to insert the foot in his own mouth before he even opened it.

"Well, as long as you're already in a bad mood, I guess it won't hurt to tell you I have a twelve year old daughter in California. And I thought we could go to dinner at The Lodge later." He refused to look at her as he said it.

"What the fuck did you just say?" Her temper shot through the roof, quickly going past the point of tears and straight to the point of her death glare.

"Err... that we could go to The Lodge later."

His foot in mouth was going to get his ass kicked by her. "Not. That. Part."

He opened his mouth just as his radio buzzed on the side of his belt.

"Don't you dare answer that." She knew it was an impossible demand, her father had been the chief of police for years and when the calls came in he had to go, but she needed him not to answer the damn radio.

"Sorry, I've got to." He shrugged.


	100. Chapter 99 - Haunted House (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 99 – Haunted House (Jasper)**

He was nervous about showing Alice the orphanage and the kids inside it. There were sixteen girls in there, and based on his conversation with the owner, Hilda, the place had a certain amount of funding which came in every year by the government – as it had for the last forty-eight years. The thing was, the agreed upon writ with the New York state government was coming to an end at the close of fifty years. She'd explained her intention to try and get a renewal on the funding, but the reality was there was no one to take the place over when she died and she was already in her seventies so even if the renewal was approved, there was a limited amount of time the place would be able to remain open.

Hilda hadn't come out and said it, but Jasper had gotten the clue that her health was failing when he'd fixed the oven – something she'd insisted she'd been able to do herself in the past.

Of the sixteen girls, only three would be eighteen in the next two years.

"Are we there yet?" Alice complained.

Convincing his wife to let him tie the blindfold on her had been a work of patience on his part, but he hadn't wanted her to read the sign.

"Just about..." he started, trailing off as he guided her onto the walkway leading to the orphanage. "There"

He pulled the blindfold off.

She didn't say anything for a few seconds, before turning to look at him. "You're surprise for me is a haunted house? You shouldn't have."

The scathing sarcasm in her voice made him laugh. "No, the surprise is inside. Trust me, Ali."

She grumbled something under her breath he couldn't quite make out as she turned away from him – he didn't need to hear it though, he could guess.

He followed her up to the door and opened it so she could go in.

The instant he stepped inside, he saw Peter with the same little girl on his lap who he'd been holding the last time he'd been there. The girl, April, who Jasper had originally assumed was only four or five was actually seven and had a growth disorder.

Alice had frozen, taking in the mess of the front room of the orphanage. He was sure it was overwhelming, but at least today only five of the girls were in the room instead of all sixteen. Maysun was hiding against the wall in the same place she had been the last time he was here and two of the pre-teens were sitting at a small round table in a corner playing a card game – he thought their names were Jackie and Denise. Finally there was Cora, a girl who enjoyed fire a little too much and who Peter and Charlotte wanted to adopt, was sitting on the front desk.

He didn't see the other girl they wanted to adopt, Makenna.

"Come on, let me introduce you to Peter," he said. He wanted to introduce her to Maysun, but he decided to hold it off as he knew the girl was unlikely to be receptive. He took Alice's hand and dragged her over to his friend. "Peter, this is my little miss, Alice. Alice, this is Peter."

Alice looked at him and proceeded to say the absolute last thing Jasper had expected. "Do you always go around in the wheelchair? I read in your records that you have a prosthetic."

Peter's eyes narrowed slightly. "Just how many laws did you break when finding me?"

Jasper smacked the palm of his hand over his face.


	101. Chapter 100 - Wounded Animal (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 100 – Wounded Animal (Alice)**

"I plea the fifth," she said to Peter, Jasper's friend.

She wasn't about to admit it, but she felt like she already knew him. She'd found out enough about Peter Lundegaard, aka Lunn, when she'd been looking through the different records to make her extremely familiar with him.

"Seriously though, why are you in a wheel chair instead of using your prosthetic?"

"It may come as a surprise, but I find it more comfortable and easier to get around without it."

To her, his words were incomprehensible... walking, running, and fleeing were the only way of life she truly knew.

Peter could apparently see the disbelief on her face. "The thing with prosthetics are even though each one is usually made for the individual, as is the case with mine, each person reacts differently to wearing one. And for me, it chafes, or at least that's how it feels up here." He tapped his head. "Actually it's mostly all dead scar tissue so it really isn't chafing, instead it's all psychological. But it's more than that. No matter what the government claims, this happened, it's real, and I can't forget it. Why should I put on a fake leg and a pair of jeans which hides it?"

She had no answer for that so she changed the subject. "And we're here because?" She was directing her question as much towards her husband behind her back as she was at the man in front of her. She was pretty sure the place was some sort of girls' home, but wasn't quite sure why she was here, or for that matter why Peter was.

"You haven't told her yet?" Peter asked, looking past her at Jasper.

"I wanted to get her here first," Jasper murmured behind her, before taking her hand and tugging on it gently.

Alice turned to look at him in genuine suspicion. If he told her to trust him one more time she was going to kick his ass – impressionable young girls around or not.

"Come on, I want to introduce you to someone," he said softly before turning away and heading over to where someone was crouching. He stopped before he got too close. "Alice, this is Maysun. She's six and is from Somalia. She doesn't like guys all that much but it's a small issue, she'll learn to like me eventually... at least she will if things go the way I want them to."

Jasper didn't come out and say it, but Alice suddenly got it. It had been a conversation she'd had with him on one of their very first dates, when she'd been trying to see if there was something that would drive him off – something simple and uncomplicated, unlike her. She'd once told him she wanted two point five kids, a dog, a fish, and then maybe a cat. She truly hadn't just been blowing smoke up his ass, but at the time she'd said it to him, it had been to determine if the idea of family and commitment would send him running for the hills or not.

When it hadn't and he'd eventually found out about her past, it had never been brought up again, and in many ways, she'd thought he'd forgotten. Honestly, between the scars of her past and the scars of his, what business did either of them have to consider raising so much as a pet spider – let alone anything else? She loved him, her handsome stranger, and being with him alone was more than enough for her... but the little girl in front of her was a reminder of herself.

After getting away from her father at sixteen and being moved into the Webers' home – albeit with a heavy heart for leaving her twin to face hell alone – she'd been introduced to a far different world. Before that, excepting the limited amount of time she'd spent at Bella's place, she'd never really seen a real family interact. And to say that Bella, Rosalie, and Charlie were a real family was debatable at the best of times, for while Charlie had certainly loved his two daughters, there had always been a stilted and broken feeling in the entire family.

Living the Webers had been eye opening in a way Alice had never been prepared for. Their family, with the preacher father, the loving stay at home mom, the big sis, and the twin boys were the kind of family Alice had only ever read about in books and seen in family tv shows. The thing was, it hadn't been Pastor Weber or Angela to truly open her eyes to how damaged she was. Instead, it had been one of the twin boys who'd pointed out she looked like a wounded animal.

The little girl in front of her now, reminded her of that very description. Maysun, as Jasper had called her, had dark skin – dark enough in fact that she almost blended into the deep brown of the wall she was crouched against – with wide black eyes, and long black hair which looked as if it could turn into dreads all too easily.

Alice stepped forward, crouching in front of the little girl. "Hey, my name's Alice. Do you want to come out from there?"

Maysun looked at her for half a second before looking behind her, obviously looking at Jasper, and proceeded to shake her head wildly.

Above and behind her the voice of a girl stated, "Try caramel. That usually gets her out of her shell."


	102. Chapter 101 - Uphill (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 101 – Uphill (Edward)**

Some of the people in the rehab facility found art relaxing, personally though, he found it exhausting. Esme had brought about half the people in the rehab center outside to draw or paint something meaningful. One of the suggestions she'd made to them was to use nature around them as a source, and the other was the idea of thinking of their youth or their innocence as a starting point. He'd wanted to laugh and not in a good way.

The one size fits most mentality they had for the group sessions like the one he was in now were annoying. It was no one's fault but his own though. Carlisle may have suggested that his mom had been abused by his father, but the two doctors had no idea about his own abuse and he honestly had no intention to clear it up for them.

After all, even Bella had finally gotten sick of him.

He looked at the canvas in front of him – still blank – before finally picking up the brush and starting to paint it black.

He was being unfair to Bella. It wasn't like he hadn't known all along that her promises were gold, and he'd been there at the wedding so he knew what she'd promised. Even though the memory of the actual service, much like the vast majority of his life since he started on the drugs, was blurry and indistinct. He  _did_  remember her vows hadn't included the all important promise to be faithful. Even back then, he'd wondered if the reason for the lack of the promise was because of him... he still wasn't certain he was wrong.

And the truth was, she'd promised to still always be his friend, promised to pick him up when his stint in rehab was up, and promised to be there for him if he decided to go through with suing his father over the fake medical records. It had been the other thing she'd come to talk to him about, the fact that he could possibly get his father sent to prison over his falsified medical documents. As she'd pointed out to him though, it would be an uphill battle because the first lawsuit would be with the medical doctor who'd faked the record and only after admittance of being paid to alter the record would a lawsuit against his father be possible... and though what his father had done to him and Alice wouldn't be the direct topic of the lawsuit, it would eventually come up.

Even though more than a few people in Forks knew the alleged details of what Alice and him had gone through, Edward wasn't honestly certain he could stand in front of a court and talk about it. In some cases, the past just needed to stay buried, and he wasn't the least bit certain that this wasn't one of those times.

He wanted to be angry at Bella for calling everything else they had off and yet he knew he didn't have a right to. He was  _the other man._  Besides, he wasn't certain he'd ever even told her he loved her.

He dropped the paint brush and stepped back when he realized what he was painting without even intending to.


	103. Chapter 102 - Girl Pack (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 102 – Girl Pack (Emmett)**

He should have stayed at work and finished the hours upon hours of paperwork he was letting stack up in order to spend time and woo Rosalie. Did it mean his job ethics were in question? Quite possibly, but when most of those papers were just so he could rubber stamp and confirm his two deputies got a call for random things which weren't even things police had to do, he didn't see the point. He'd finished the papers for any of the important calls as they had come in.

Still... he should have taken tonight as the opportunity to catch up, because the way she was glaring at him from across the table made him feel all of about two inches tall.

He knew if he opened his mouth and spoke about anything other than the giant can of worms he'd opened by mentioning the fact he had a daughter he was certain he'd end up being ball-less. His problem, he wasn't sure talking about the girl he knew next to nothing about would have a better result.

"Do you remember the Shaw Bakery?" he finally asked, figuring it was the best place for him to start.

Her eyes narrowed slightly. "Yes, I can't really imagine anyone who lived in this town when they were open that doesn't remember it. Best baked goods and bread ever. What about it though?"

"Do you remember when Mr and Mrs Shaw died? About a year before the bakery closed down in late 1998?" He couldn't really remember them ever being called by their first names, even when he was a kid and he went into the bakery with his mom, she'd called them Mr and Mrs Shaw. He was relatively certain though that Mr Shaw's first name had been Henry.

She nodded once sharply.

"After they died, their daughter, Vera, briefly took the place over for not even quite a year. Do you remember her?"

"Yeah,Vera was the head of the first girl pack with Nettie and Lucy. Tanya, Kate, and Maria were the second generation of it."

"And it ended with you." It wasn't a question. He knew Rosalie had never inducted a so called  _fourth generation_ into the girl pack.

"I'd already befriended and hung with the best. There was really no point in settling, at least past June, and she was bad enough."

Emmett had actually forgotten June Richardson had gone to school in Forks. He watched her every day on the news on KIRO-TV as a Seattle anchor, but often times forgot her humble start.

"Anyways, the summer while Vera was running the place, I took a part time job at the bakery and she was... infatuating. I was sixteen, horny, and innocent. She saw something she liked and I was her flavor of the summer. At the end of that summer I quit working for her and never really thought about it again. She left town late in the fall supposedly to go back to college, but I'm sure you heard the same rumors I did. That she'd really left town because she was pregnant."

"Yeah, rumor mill had it that she'd been sleeping with a local representative or something."

"I wouldn't know anything about that rumor, likely because I tried to bury my head in the sand when the rumors started... I ignored them as much as I could. After everything was said and done and it finally became nothing more than ancient history, I more or less forgot about it. Well, realizing I'm going to be father prompted me to look her up, to find out if there was any truth to it, and I got my answer today."

He pulled the photo out of his pocket, unfolding and spreading it on the table. Rosalie immediately picked up the paper.

"She doesn't really look like me, but she looks an awful lot like my mom at that age," he continued.

"She's got your nose," Rosalie said as she continued to inspect the picture.

"What!" He yanked the paper out of her hands to look at it, praying she was wrong – his nose was great on a guy, not so much on a girl. He let out a relieved breath when he confirmed it wasn't his nose. "That is not my nose."

"Well, it would be if you were a girl." There was a heavy pout in her voice, matching how she crossed her arms stubbornly over her chest.

He couldn't help it, he burst out laughing.


	104. Chapter 103 - First Two (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 103 – First Two (Alice)**

Alice couldn't stop thinking about the little girls she'd met today. The girls varied in age from Maysun who was the youngest at only six to Serena and Jennifer who were both seventeen. Sixteen girls whose ability to live a semi-normal life relied entirely on the halfway house/orphanage they were in.

It had taken a little bit of effort on her part, but Alice had discovered the woman who ran the place, Hilda, was seventy-two.

And anyway Alice looked at it, the likelihood of the woman being alive and still able to run the place in another twelve years, even if she could continue to get funding, was just about none. It wasn't the older girls in the orphanage who had to worry though. Instead, it was the kids; Maysun, Kebi, April, Athenadora, and Makenna. The two eleven year old girls, three twelve year old girls, and two thirteen year old girls shared a reasonable fifty-fifty shot of managing to get out if Hilda could get the extension on the funding. She'd be almost eighty though by the time all of them were out and reality was not many people were able to keep working past that point in their life.

She'd been surprised to learn Peter and Charlotte were trying to adopt Cora and Makenna, and not April – who seemed to be extremely attached to Peter. Charlotte had explained that they would, but the reality was they didn't have the money that would be necessary to raise a child who would need special medical attention for the rest of her life.

If Alice's heart hadn't gone out to little Maysun and the girl who'd shouted at her... she'd contemplate trying to adopt April herself. As Hilda had explained though, trying to adopt April would be especially difficult as the person would have to prove they could handle her medical issues.

"Are you serious about this?" Alice asked Jasper.

They'd been back at the hotel for a couple hours already and she'd spent the entire time looking up all the forms and documents that would be required to adopt the children. Surprisingly, Maysun would be relatively easy to adopt due to her status as a foreign refugee. It would be the other girl Alice had already fallen in love with which would be considerably more difficult.

"Yes, but there are conditions, Alice. You can't keep on cutting yourself and hiding your issues. It's one thing when it's just you and me, but if we're going to bring one or even two kids into our lives than that needs to change. You need to start taking your appointments with doctor Morgan seriously, or if you have an issue with him, than we need to find someone who you can talk to."

Alice rolled her eyes, she could easily stop cutting as it was all about control with her, but what good did talking about her past do? What could anyone tell her that she didn't already know? She knew years of abuse – bordering on torture – made her the ultimate control freak she was. "And what happens when he determines I have something like bipolar disorder?"

"He's a psychologist, Alice, not a psychiatrist like the person I see. He may recommend you look into seeing a psychiatrist to be properly diagnosed, but he has no legal authority to give you any sort of prognosis. In all honesty, it's going to be my PTSD that's likely to cause us issues in the adoption process, not your un-diagnosed whatever. My saving grace is my PTSD is well managed and Dr Gerandy will sign a paper stating as much."

She grimaced.

"We could always just adopt a dog." He arched an eyebrow as he said it.

"NO! It's two point five kids  _then_ the dog," she said angrily, knowing she was taking the bait but unable to stop herself.

He grinned. "How do we get the point five anyways?"

She had several ways to get the point five, everything from sponsoring a child in another country to getting one of those life-size talking barbie dolls had crossed her mind. Of course, perhaps the easiest way to get that point five would be to reach out to her real daughter, but Alice had no intention of ever reaching out to the little girl who was in a happy and loving family down in Florida. She'd done the right thing when she'd given the girl up, and she intended to let that girl continue to have a happy and normal life uncomplicated by ever finding out who her biological parents were. The girl was better off never knowing her father was also her grandfather.

"Let's worry about the the two first... and I'll start talking to Anton." She stuck her tongue out at him childishly.


	105. Chapter 104 - Robe (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 104 – Robe (Edward)**

_**September 8th, 2011** _

"You ready to talk about the painting you started?" Carlisle asked.

He'd been asking for the last three days. Edward still didn't know why he'd painted the black robe – he refused to call it exactly what it looked like. He shrugged.

"You're back to giving me non answers then?"

"I don't know why," he muttered. He truly didn't and that was a problem. Edward hadn't been trying to draw anything, he'd just been wanting to paint the background black, but somehow he'd been thinking so hard about other things he'd ended up painting that robe... or the outline of it, anyways.

"Is it symbolic or more literal?"

Edward shrugged.

"You've had a lot of both in your life. Your medical record shows you've overdosed four times in the last five years."

He looked at Carlisle in shock, wondering how he knew that.

"I am an actual psychiatrist, Edward. I can request medical records when necessary, and I felt it was necessary after about the first week with you here not answering any of my questions."

He grimaced. "Yes... I've ended up in the hospital a few times because I'm not always the best at judging how much I've had after I start."

"I suppose that's one way of saying it." Even though his voice was as calm and practical as ever, Edward would swear there was sarcasm in it. "But that's not all, you lost your mom when you were just born, though you were too young to remember it, I'm certain not having a mother figure around affected you. Plus there was your twin being removed from the house after you supposedly hit her, though I suspect it was your dad who did it."

He didn't bother to ask how Carlisle knew that tid bit. It had made the news throughout the state and clear down into California at the time, talking about his father's supposed selfless act of placing his daughter in a home while he sought out help for his son. Ir had all been a bunch of bullshit though.

"I was the one who gave her the black eye," he muttered.

"What?" Carlisle's brow furrowed.

"The school counselor wouldn't do anything when Alice and I stated we were being abused and with him being a wealthy politician Bella's dad's hands were tied. She came up with the idea that if there was physical evidence of the damage being done to us in a place that couldn't be ignored than they'd have to take us seriously. Alice wanted me to punch her, but when it was her turn to return the favor, she couldn't go through with it... and I wouldn't let Bella punch me, she was already so entangled in everything that it wasn't fair to her to put her through anymore. Turns out it wouldn't have done any good anyway, because that was when my supposed medical record came out." The words were out before he'd had time to think them through.

"So you and your sister were abused?"

Edward pressed his lips together and looked away.


	106. Chapter 105 - Physical Violence (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 105 – Physical Violence (Jacob)**

He yanked the door open, intent to shout at whoever was slamming their fist against it so incessantly, only to find his sister on the other side.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?" He couldn't imagine anything that would bring her to Forks. She didn't typically associate with white people, preferring to stick to  _their own kind_. It was an idea that had been instilled in her by their father – he'd always found it hypocritical as hell though, given that Billy's three best friends had been Bella's dad, Arthur Weber, and Michael Newton Sr, all white.

"Is Seth a fucking fag?"

The angry question caused Jacob to flinch before he schooled his face. "Does it matter if he is?" he asked calmly, refusing to move from the door, but not denying it since she'd obviously found it out from someone.

"It's disgusting and wrong."

Jacob's temper rose, he'd known neither of his sisters were going to be happy to discover their little brother's sexuality, but he'd hoped they'd be rational enough to keep their mouths shut about it. Apparently, Rachel was going to go the other route... which meant Rebecca probably would too.

"Rachel, over nine million people in the United States are LGBT. There's nothing wrong about it." His voice was calmer than he was.

"That doesn't make it right. It's not natural."

He clenched his fists at his side. Seth and him had gotten in more than one fight when they were kids – as siblings often did – but their father had raised him from early to never punch a girl, and so he'd never resorted to physical violence with either of his sisters. He was tempted to now though. "You do realize just how bigoted you sound right now, right?"

"It's not bigoted if it's true."

"Get off your high horse, Rachel. He's our brother."

"He's no brother of mine, and if you choose to associate with him than neither are you. I won't be affiliated with that kind of queer filth. Frankly, he'd be better off dead."

He raised his fist, turning and slamming it into his door to stop himself from doing something he'd hate himself for later. "I knew you were a fool from the day you got into that fight with Sue, but if something happens to  _our brother_  after what you just said, you'll regret it for the rest of your life."

"No, I won't. Unlike you, I actually mean the things I say."

Jacob vision hazed over as his anger reached a new height. "Get the fuck off of my property!"

She took a step back, almost instinctively, before straightening her back. "One more thing, Paul won't work for you as long as you choose to associate with filth." She turned her back on him and started to walk away.

"Fine by me," he snarled and then slammed the door shut.


	107. Chapter 106 - The Who (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 106 – The Who (Seth)**

The beep signaling a text on his cell phone had him pulling it out of his pocket to look at it as he sat behind the easel with his current painting. If the professor caught him looking at his phone he'd totally be dead and he knew it, but he wanted to know who was texting him.

_Bro, do yourself a favor & stay w/ your boyfriend in Port Angeles tonight, or if you must come back, stay at my place. Don't go to La Push. Rachel found out, somehow._

He stared at the message, blinking several times. How had his sister found out? To his knowledge, there were only about four people who actually knew he was gay. Garrett, Austin, Leah, and his brother.

Seth supposed Leah could have told his sister, though the idea of her still being angry over a week after he told her it was over was baffling to him. Leah wasn't that type of person. She got angry, got it off her chest – usually with violence – and got over it. There was no way she was still stewing on it now.

He could see his brother telling their sisters just to get it over with, but if that had been the case, Jacob would have said in the text that he was the one to tell them. Instead, Jacob's text just said she found out somehow.

Garrett wouldn't have, in fact, Garrett had gone out of his way to protect Seth from getting outed before he was ready. Of course, the fact that he'd spent the last five days at Garrett's apartment sort of blew that out of the water. He didn't regret it though, not even a little bit.

He was happy with Garrett and sleeping in his bed with him was literally the safest he'd felt in a long time. He could easily see himself falling in love with Garrett – the real and lasting kind of love he'd never allowed himself to even hope for in the past – and he could totally see himself spending his life with Garrett. The troubling reality that he would likely outlive the man, and not because of the seventeen year age difference but because of the illness Garrett had was something he was trying to come to terms with. The only piece which left him anxious was the idea of eventually being intimate with Garrett, a fear that didn't stem from Garrett's illness, but from Seth's very real lack of practical experience. And though Garrett wasn't pushing at all, he knew it would eventually happen. It was bound to as pretty much all relationships took that step at some point.

The only other person who could have told on him, as far as he knew, was Austin. The thing was, what would Austin gain from outing him at this point? It wasn't four years ago when he was a teen and just reaching out to the only person he'd been aware of in his age group who'd been out and proud, back then, he actually would have understood if Austin – in a foolish and misguided attempt to help him – had outed him to his legal guardian, Rachel. Now though, what was the purpose? To destroy his life?

He frowned, carefully tucking his cell phone back in his pocket without replying to his big bro.

He looked back at his painting trying to remember what he was supposed to be doing with the wooden bowl he'd painted onto the canvas as part of his class.

After a moment he sighed and shook his head, getting up from the stool he was sitting on and quickly slipping out of the classroom.


	108. Chapter 107 - Yellow Beetle (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 107 – Yellow Beetle (Leah)**

She kissed the bonnet of her Beetle, happy as hell to have found it after renting the ugly hatchback so she could go searching. She'd also found her old cell phone, her wallet, and her missing keys. She'd ignored the bar owner who'd yelled at her and pitched a fit about her leaving her car in the lot for so long. If he'd wanted it gone so much, he could have had it towed.

Hell, he'd had her keys, he could have drove it off.

As far as Leah was concerned, there were the smart people who loved Volkswagen Beetles... and then there was the trash. Obviously, the owner of the bar fell into that second category.

She looked over at the rental and lifted her lip in a sneer. She  _should_ take it back to the rental company. She  _would_  do it... later... much later.

She quickly unlocked her car door and slid into the driver's seat, the aged leather of the seat a comforting friend as she sank into the seat.

Leah wasn't the first owner of the yellow Beetle, but she'd bought it with cash she'd made from babysitting when she'd been only fifteen – hadn't even been able to  _legally_ drive it, but she'd owned it.

She was about to start her car and drive off when her phone rang.

She quickly pulled her new phone out of her pocket and looked at the number. She hadn't yet programmed any numbers into her phone, but she still recognized the ten digit number as being Jacob's.

She frowned, contemplating her options. Part of her wanted to let him go to voicemail but another part of her wanted to answer, to see if he'd changed his mind. If he only asked, she knew she'd be there, and that was a problem for her. After all, as Seth had reminded her, she could rely on no man.

After a moment though she dropped the phone on the passenger seat.

Then she started her car, intent to get the hell out of her own head.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Personally, I fall into the second category myself.


	109. Chapter 108 - Headstones (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 108 – Headstones (Bella)**

She looked down at the two headstones, staring at the side by side plaques of her parents. There was more than a little bit of irony that they'd been buried side by side. To Bella's knowledge, her older sister never visited either grave – she  _knew_  Rosalie had never visited Renee's – but Bella came every other month like clockwork.

It was a ritual for her to leave flowers – bought from the very gas station her father had died in, of all places – and clean the headstones.

The headstone of Renee read  **Loving**   **mother, wife, sister, and friend**. It was easily the largest lie in this town. It was true, Bella had loved her mother. In fact, she'd worshiped the ground her mom had walked on. Renee's miniature in every single way of importance, but Bella wasn't a fool. She'd known even back then that her mom had honestly saw her as nuisance.

Her father's headstone read a far more accurate,  **Beloved husband and father.** She'd never relied on Charlie in the way she had her mom, but she'd still loved him. He'd been her foundation through some of the hardest things in her youth clear up through the loss of her son and the eventual realization of Jacob's infidelity. But he'd died – taken too soon in a pointless crime that never should have happened.

Bella dropped to her knees, quickly yanking the old dead flowers out before putting the bouquets of pink carnations and yellow gerbera daisies in the two vases buried halfway in the ground. The flowers – Rosalie's two favorites – would be dead in a few days, but they'd remain in the vases until she returned and swapped them for new ones.

She had a play date to get to with Claire in La Push, her little half-sister who would never get to know her father, but she had another set of graves to visit first – two which she hadn't visited in over a year.

She pressed her fingers to her lips and then touched them to Charlie's headstone before she got up, picking up her other bouquet as she did so.

Unlike the bouquets she left for her parents, the one remaining had black dahlias, chocolate cosmos, and dark dimension hyacinths.

Bella walked three rows down the graveyard, turning and heading to where the other two headstones were. The two headstones, situated side by side, were smaller than her parents had been, but were no less important. At least for Bella.

The first headstone was for her son, the little boy who she'd had for only three precious days. Just to the left of his small plot was the plot of the stillborn she'd had not quite two years after him. She'd been just about twenty-five weeks along when she'd went into premature labor. Bella had never actually seen the body of the baby girl she gave birth to, having completely lost consciousness when the doctor told her the baby was dead. Jacob had been the one that had filed the proper registration – a legal requirement as she'd been born at more than twenty-four weeks along – giving the girl the name of Sarah Marie Black.

The matching saying on the two headstones about resting with the angels felt like a sick joke. It had been a recommendation by the designer of the headstones and neither Jacob nor her had been able to come up with anything at the time.

She shook her head before kneeling down and carefully laying the bouquet on it's side between the two small headstones, whispering, "I'm sorry I wasn't enough." Then she got up and walked away.


	110. Chapter 109 - Involved (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 109 – Involved (Rosalie)**

If Rosalie was being a hundred percent honest, she'd never like Vera.

Eight years prior to her freshman year, Vera had first started Forks High. Vera had started with a plan to weed out the best from the so called rest. Honestly, it was pretty typical warfare for schools as those types of things went. Unlike most though, the school bitches really all had gone on to the promising careers they'd intended to... with one blaring exception.

Of the eight girls that had been inducted in the span of its life, Lucy had gone on to be head nurse at one of the biggest cancer centers in the country, Nettie had gone on to be a corporate lawyer, Tanya an actress, Kate a model, Maria a singer, and June a news anchor. Rosalie herself had made it big with her fashion line. The only person missing was Vera.

Vera had had big plans, wanting to be the next Marilyn Monroe, wanting to see the world. And she'd started out on the right path, moved straight down to LA and got married to some big wig producer before she'd even been eighteen a month. But, they'd been divorced in another, and whether you believed the rumor of him cheating on her – or the one of her cheating on him – it didn't really matter. Vera had tried again though, taking a year off from college to travel Europe.

According to Tanya, who was friends with Vera, Vera had four abortions before she was twenty. Just before Vera's twenty-first birthday, she'd supposedly got in a huge argument over the phone with her parents. Rumor had it, that it was same night as her parents had died in the car crash.

Rosalie believed that rumor, as guilt was about the only thing she could see driving Vera back into Forks – the stuck up bitch.

Town gossip mill had started when Rosalie had still been in eighth grade. One of the rumors claimed Vera had been sleeping with Edward Sr and another had claimed she'd been sleeping with Marcus. There was even a rumor claiming she'd had an affair with Arthur Webber. Of the three, the only one Rosalie didn't believe, was the last.

A couple months after her freshman year had started, Vera had left town and Tanya had told Rosalie that she'd be back after she had her kid because she was going to get rich from the kid. Vera never had come back though, and last Rosalie had heard, Vera was doing voice over for commercials.

Now Rosalie suspected she knew the real reason why. If Emmett was the father than it was little wonder why Vera had never returned. There'd be absolutely no money to make from a small town high school student – as he'd been at the time. Even now with him as the police chief of Forks making about eighty grand a year there was no  _real_  money. Of course, Rosalie knew Emmett had a lot more money than what he got working as a cop, but it wasn't exactly well known knowledge.

The curious thing for Rosalie though was why Vera hadn't ever given the girl up, after all Vera had never been the type to care about anyone but herself.

Part of Rosalie felt she shouldn't get involved with Emmett's discovery. They were barely what most people would consider to be as boyfriend and girlfriend, after all. Had Rosalie ever been able to keep out of  _anything_  though? There was a reason she had trust funds set up for Sue's four kids even though she was only related to one, a reason she was funding Edward's rehab, and a reason she'd returned to Forks after her dad had died.

Rosalie's phone rang and she picked it up, answering it immediately.

"Hey girl." The lighthearted voice on the other end sounded nothing like she did when they'd been in school and was usually a sign that she was on set. Of course, Tanya was always on set.

"Tanya, what can you tell me about Vera's daughter?" If anyone knew the truth, it would be Tanya.

"Bree?"

"Yes, her."

"She's the kid of someone who helped her out at the bakery. Whitman, Whitaker, Whitmore... or something like that."

"Whitlock," Rosalie corrected instinctively. "And Vera never notified him?"

"I think she told me she reached out to his mom. But honestly, what's it matter if she didn't? It was her body so it's certainly her right to choose what's best for the kid."

Rosalie almost laughed – not an amused laugh. Hadn't she said almost the exact same thing to Emmett? Of course, that had been when she'd been seeing Emmett as nothing more than the joker, but Emmett wasn't really all that bad.

"Thanks for the info, Tanya." She hung up the phone.

Rosalie frowned as she tried to decide what to do with the information she'd just confirmed.


	111. Chapter 110 - Bigger Sin (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So, semi-quick note here. I gave birth to a healthy baby girl a little after eight in the morning on January eighteenth. I've currently been home for about six hours and only reason I'm getting this chapter out tonight is because it was almost entirely written when I went into labor. For the most part, I'm hoping to continue getting out a chapter a night, but this is the first newborn in my house in over eight years so it may take me a few weeks to adjust. Please be patient if chapters come a little slower for a bit.

**Chapter 110 – Bigger Sin (Emmett)**

He looked at the report filed by deputy Mark. Mark, almost twice his age, always managed to get the most interesting of calls. As was the case with the one he'd already picked up more than a dozen times now.

Emmett still hadn't filed confirmation on the accuracy of it, because he didn't believe it himself. Honestly, who would believe the story of a disturbance being called in over a raccoon purportedly doing the backstroke in their pool.

He shook his head and put it back down. He'd get around to his rubber stamp of approval... eventually. Just as soon as he could make himself believe what he was approving.

Forks was a small town, barely three thousand people and most of the time the small police department he was chief over responded to the most moronic of calls. Not to say there weren't serious calls, because there were, but in the more than seven years since he'd started working as a police officer, there'd been exactly one murder – Charlie's... and Emmett would never tell Rosalie, but he seriously missed her father. The ornery former chief of police had been a large part of why he'd first joined the force.

Emmett looked over at the top of the filing cabinet where the single photo he owned of his own father was perched. His father, with dirty blond hair pulled back into a ponytail, angular face, and thin muscles, had been a handsome man. He's also been the sixth generation of Whitlocks to be in a medical profession. Perhaps if he hadn't been killed in the hit and run – still a cold case in that very filing cabinet – Emmett, Garrett, or even Jasper would have chosen that as a career. The thing was, most days, Emmett could barely remember the man.

Instead, Emmett had grown up without anyone as a father figure. His mother had been a flighty woman dating a new brand of guy every month. Most of them the sort that had no business being around kids. So Emmett had grown up looking up to those around him. He'd gone with his mom to church every Sunday and had looked up to the pastor. In fact, until his mom had yelled at him prompting him to kick himself out before she beat him to the punch, he'd thought of becoming a pastor himself. The only other men he'd looked up to had been the owner of The Lodge, Bob, and the chief of police.

He'd followed the path of his only real hero.

And now he knew that somewhere in California there was a daughter who'd been without any real father figure for the vast majority of her childhood. He wasn't certain if his bigger sin was the fact that he'd never verified the damn rumor in the first place, or that he was pretty sure he wasn't going to do anything to change it now that he did know.

Emmett's cell rang, a personalized ringtone he'd set for Garrett.

He answered, "Yo."

"Have you found anything out?"

He actually hadn't tried yet. "It's not a good idea for me to dig into an open case that isn't in my jurisdiction, Garrett."

"I need to know what happened to him."

"I get it, but bro, they're gonna notice if I dig. Your association with him is going to show up eventually, if it hasn't already. Me digging is going to put up one giant red flag."

"Then let it. There's nothing for them to find on me. Last time I saw him was when we had dinner at the space needle and he walked out mid dinner. I  _need_ to know what happened to him."

Emmett sighed and ran his hand over his face, already regretting his next words before he said them, "I'll see what I can find out."

"Thanks Em." Garrett hung up the phone.

He pulled the phone from his ear and stuck his tongue out childishly at it. He  _hated_  being called Em.

Finally, Emmett put the phone down and pulled up the form to make a formal request for a coroner's report, printing it off.


	112. Chapter 111 - Jaded (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 111 – Jaded (Alice)**

The little girl reminded Alice of herself.

"How long have you been here?"

"About a year, 'cause stabbing myself is frowned upon, though the rest wasn't."

The rest, as Alice had been informed by Hilda, had been when she'd watched her mother kill her two siblings. The mother had gotten no time whatsoever for her crimes because the only witness to it had been the then eight year old girl who'd been labeled unstable after trying to off herself.

Alice supposed the now almost ten year old girl might actually be more jaded than she herself was, something she'd never thought she'd see. Not that many people who looked at Alice saw her as being jaded – she'd mastered the art of  _the game_  by the time she was Athenodora's age.

"Have you ever been out of New York?" Alice asked.

Athenodora shrugged her shoulders. In the the four days Alice had been coming here with Jasper and getting to know Maysun and Athenodora, as well as several of the other girls, Alice had noticed how Athenodora would often go from being extremely outgoing to entirely closed up in a blink of an eye.

Of course, who could blame the young girl after what she'd been through?

Unlike Maysun, who it would probably only take Alice and Jasper a couple of months to get her placed in their house, Athenodora would be an uphill battle to adopt. The only reason it was even potentially possible was because her mother had never tried to take her back after the mandatory psyche evaluation had been completed. That, of course, was the real reason she was at Hilda's little Lost Girls Orphanage.

Alice didn't know what exactly it was that endeared her to the stubborn young girl with long blond hair and a scarred throat – or perhaps she did and refused to acknowledge it even to herself – but she was determined to get the girl out of the orphanage and into a loving home.

"Would you like to get out of New York, see something a little different perhaps?"

The girl shrugged again, remaining closed up, but Alice still saw the curiosity in her eyes.


	113. Chapter 112 - Club 56 (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 112 – Club 56 (Leah)**

Leah was glad to be away from La Push, away from Forks, and away from the cell phone she'd left in her car after getting to her destination. After listening to the voicemail of Jacob reaming her a new one for supposedly telling his sister that Seth was gay she had half a mind to tell him exactly where to shove his opinions of her. He should have known her better than that. She didn't blab other people's business to  _anyone_ , except for when she'd been trying to break Bella and Jake up, but honestly, that had been  _her_ business... besides, it hadn't worked.

She was glad to be able to relax, at least for one night.

She closed her eyes as she leaned her head back against the high top of the rubber stool she was sitting on. It was a bright blue chair, one of dozens of tall chairs situated in the underground club – though only a few were blue. Behind her was a giant bar that officially served no alcohol whatsoever, but it was there if someone knew how to ask right. Around the edge of the low lit club, the walls had been sheeted in dark red and dark purple velvet. There was also half a dozen leather couches and a dozen lounge beds.

Club 56 was the worst kept secret in Seattle. It was a goth club set up in a warehouse in the bad part of Seattle – and often deterred people from seeking it out as a result. But Leah had enjoyed the ambiance from her first ever visit more than a year prior and so she kept coming back.

The music was loud, a thudding base of grunge, but the way the place was designed ended with most of the music absorbing into the walls. It allowed conversations to be held amongst other things.

"Never thought I'd see you here," a man's voice said.

Her eyes flashed open and she looked at a tall man with short black hair, a mustache, and defined muscles. If it weren't for the fact that his eyes were calculating in a way which made her nervous, she'd actually consider him handsome.

"Do I know you?"

He smiled delightedly. "You were pretty out of it that night so I did wonder if you would remember me. We had one hell of a night in Port Angeles not quite a month ago."

"So you're the man I slept with."

"That's right, the name's Lonnie."

"You wouldn't happen to have my shirt still, would you?" She was actually more upset about her underwear than her shirt, but she wasn't about to ask for her undies back.

"I ripped it that night so I could tie your wrists to the bed. That was why I left you my shirt."

She tilted her head, eyeing him suspiciously. Oh, she was sure she'd been tied up that night, but it hadn't been with something as light as the thin t-shirt she'd worn that night.

"If you say so," she finally said, two seconds too late to be believable. She closed her eyes again so she didn't have to continue to stare at his disturbing eyes. "What's your preferred poison anyways?"

"I'm a bit of a freak."

She felt, more than heard, as he sat on the stool next to her.

"Let me guess. You like juice."

"Yes."

She opened one eye to stare at his periphery. "You look like the type," she agreed. "But before you ask. I don't swing that way."

"Like I said, never thought I'd see you here."

She shook her head, not bothering to respond. After all, she was there to relax, not to get into more trouble.


	114. Chapter 113 - Drinks (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 113 – Drinks (Jasper)**

Jasper picked up the beer and took a sip before looking at Peter, who'd been lost in thought since he'd met him at the bar. Alice and him needed to head back to Forks to start working on everything that would need to be done in order to adopt the girls, but he'd wanted to spend one last night with his friend.

"They're all still listed as MIA, did you know that?" Peter finally asked.

He didn't have to ask for clarification on what Peter was talking about. "Yes. It's not like they can take the word of two blacklisted soldiers on the status of them being dead."

Peter snorted. "We're only blacklisted because they refuse to admit they fucked up."

Jasper silently agreed with him. "Our country has one of the largest armies in the world. We're the land of the free and the land of the brave. But our government can't afford to admit they let mistakes of that magnitude occur."

Peter eyed him angrily. "It's a bunch of bullshit is what it is. Why are we the ones paying the price for their fuck up?"

Jasper sighed. "It's not fair, but whoever said war was? You and I both joined to be a part of the good fight after the two towers fell, but war is messy and very little of what we did in the long run was part of the so called good fight."

Peter drained the rest of his beer before waiving at one of the waitresses and nodding his head toward his bottle. "Why the hell did we re-up after our first two year stint anyways?"

Jasper had asked himself that question more than once. "Because we'd both make any home grown serial killer look like a virgin saint."

Peter shook his head, but Jasper knew it wasn't in denial. "Unfortunately. Reality is that if it hadn't been for what happened, I'd still be serving."

"You and me both." Jasper flinched slightly at his own admittance.

"It would be an awful lonely life," Peter said quietly.

"Yeah, but it's what we were both good at."

"Like you aren't good at loving that little sprite of a woman?" He paused for a moment as a waitress set down his beer. "And don't you dare say she could do better."

Jasper opened his mouth but shut it after a second, glaring at Peter who was smiling. "Just because you're telling me not to say it, doesn't make it any less true."

Peter rolled his eyes.

"Can you honestly sit there and tell me you're the best man out there for Charlotte?"

He looked down at the wheelchair he was sitting in before looking back up. "That's different."

"We're both broken men, Peter. Even if we didn't have life altering injuries... the year of torture and years of service..." Jasper didn't bother to finish his sentence.

"I guess it's a good thing they disagree with us then, isn't it?"

Jasper reached up and rubbed the back of his neck, not replying.

"Alice looks at you like you hung the moon, you know?"

He did. "And Charlotte looks at you like your her own personal popsicle."

Peter grinned. "That's because I am."

Jasper shook his head forcefully. "I did not need that visual."

Peter chuckled.

Jasper looked at his watch, wincing at the time. "I should get going. Alice and I have a flight to catch first thing in the morning."

Peter stuck his hand out. "Don't be a stranger."

Jasper took his hand. "You may have to come to Forks, man. I sort of doubt I'm gonna get Alice on a flight to New York ever again."

"Why? You worried she's gonna detach your balls or something?"

"What can I say? She  _really_  loves me."

Peter laughed loudly.


	115. Chapter 114 - Leave (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 114 – Leave (Edward)**

_**September 17th, 2011** _

He woke to a cold sweat, his shirt completely drenched. Edward couldn't remember what the dream had been about, for which he was grateful, but he needed to get out.

He quickly rolled out of bed, barely noting that the clock in his room – battery operated with AAs, he knew as he'd checked – showed a time of just a little after midnight. It meant he'd been sleeping for less than two hours.

He ripped his shirt off over his head and shimmied out of the sleep pants before pulling a white tee and a set of sweats out of the dresser. None of the clothes in the dresser were actually his as he'd only had the set on his back when he'd arrived, but the clothes were his to use while he was there. He was sure if he asked Esme about the clothes than she'd give some new agey answer about room for skin to breath or some such bullshit.

She was a lovely and beautiful woman, but she drove Edward nuts. Carlisle's wife was simply too zen for him to deal with.

He quickly stepped over to his door and opened it. Edward was still shocked he was able to leave so easily, in spite of the fact that Carlisle had explained how the rehab center was voluntary and no one was being forced to stay.

He headed down the hall, intent to get the hell out of the place, and intent to run as far as he possibly could.

The hall was dark as he walked down it, but the instant he reached the day room, the room lit up. He put his arm over his eyes against the sudden brightness and kept moving forward until he ran straight into a chair, crashing backwards.

"Son of a," he snarled as he fell back on his butt.

"Hey, are you alright?"

Edward looked up, blinking to try and stop seeing spots from the light. It was the head of the place's night watch. He couldn't remember the guy's name, but he thought it was... Brant, Brock, Bram... something along those lines.

"I... I need to leave."

"It's the middle of the night, you should wait until morning."

He shook his head wildly. He couldn't keep going the way he was.

"Carlisle said I could leave anytime I wanted."

"I doubt those were the exact words he said."

Edward slowly got to his feet. "I just need to get out of here"

The man put his hand on Edward's shoulder. "If you want to talk than I can certainly listen to you."

Edward groaned, realizing he wasn't getting past the guy.

"Carlisle. I need Carlisle."


	116. Chapter 115 - Control (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 115 – Control (Alice)**

She checked the clock on the bedside table and rolled her eyes. It was two in the morning.

Making herself sleep with one eye open, metaphorically speaking, had been a real bitch. But she needed to take care of a few things that she didn't want her husband knowing about. Still, she hadn't really wanted to wake up  _this early_ , four or five in the morning would have been plenty early.

Alice loved Jasper, but she knew he'd be  _concerned_  if he saw the mass number of sharp tools at the base of the dresser.

He'd done his best to keep her from items which she could harm herself with, but he didn't – most likely couldn't – understand her need for control. She'd never lay it on him, but she sometimes wondered if half the cuts she'd made weren't because of his insistence on how dangerous it was to her and how she needed to stop. It was her body, her choice, her decisions, and no one could take that from her.

She was sure Anton "royal asshole with a side of sadistic mind games" Morgan would be more than willing to tell her how she had a dangerous histrionic personality disorder... or maybe it was a narcissistic personality disorder. Frankly, he could take his opinions of her and shove it. She was only talking to him now because Jasper wanted her to.

Still, her body and her choice, so she was choosing to let it go. If she needed to find some other aspect of control later on than she'd figure it out when she got to that hitch in the road. After all, there was always something.

She looked at Jasper sleeping beside her and smiled softly. He'd never know it, but he'd actually broken far more of her walls than she'd ever let on.

She'd probably have to tell Anton eventually, the asshole seemed persistent in a way that would put even an army ant to shame.

She got out of bed and headed out of the room to get a trash bag from the pantry in the kitchen.


	117. Chapter 116 - The Folder (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 116 – The Folder (Jasper)**

His little miss really should have known he was a far lighter sleeper than she'd ever been. Serving in the army had given him that particular skill.

She'd remained tense even after he'd relaxed to sleep for the night and he'd immediately known something was up. So when she'd gotten up from bed, he'd cracked his eyes to watch.

She'd left the bedroom and come back a minute later with a trash bag. Then she knelt in front of her dresser and pulled out the bottom drawer completely. She sat it on the ground beside her before reaching back in and pulling something out.

It took him a moment to recognize the small object in her hand in the dark of the room, but he finally realized it was a knife. Once he did, he slowly sat up, watching as she put it in the bag before taking out a dozen other knives and box cutters and also showing them in the bag.

Still, it wasn't until she pulled out a folder and sat it on to of the drawer that he spoke up. "I always wondered where you kept them."

She jumped about a foot in the air – an interesting thing to see from someone kneeling on the ground – before settling back on the floor and ducking her head down as if she could use her shoulders to hide.

"What can I say, I'm motivated," she muttered under her breath.

"And what's in the folder?"

"Nothing," she said instantly.

Her response was so quick that he was immediately suspicious and got out of bed. He walked over to the folder and grabbed it just as she tried to slap her hand over it. He stepped over to the wall and flipped the light switch on, blinking furiously to get used to the sudden brightness.

When Jasper opened the folder, he wasn't sure what he was looking at. It looked like some sort of medical document, but he wasn't sure what it was. He'd never really been all that great at reading medical jargon. Hell, he couldn't even pronounce the name of his PTSD medication. "What am I looking at?"

She sighed. "Check the last page."

He flipped through five pages to find a piece of paper for a Didyme Leann Cullen, born April 16th, 2001. The name of the mother was listed as Alice and the father was blank.

On one hand, he knew it was a birth certificate in his hand, but on the other, he didn't understand what he was seeing. "What am I looking at?" he asked again.

"It's the only real record in the entire world that still exists of a little girl who is living a happy normal life a world away from here."

He took a step backwards. "What the hell, Alice?"

She flinched.


	118. Chapter 117 - Need it to Stop (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 117 – Need it to Stop (Edward)**

"I just need to go home," he pleaded desperately as he pulled his knees to his chest and wrapped his arms around them.

"Why do you want to leave, you seemed to be doing alright –" Carlisle looked at his watch "– yesterday now."

"I can't keep doing this. I just can't." He rocked slightly in the chair he was sitting in.

"Why not?"

"I..." he trailed off and shook his head.

"Look, I can't force you to stay, but you've stayed this long. Be honest with me, at least this once. Tell me why you need to leave now."

He flinched. Even trying to listen to Carlisle was causing him utter agony. Over forty days without a single decent night of sleep was too much. "I need it to stop so I can sleep. I just desperately need it  _all_ to stop."

He saw through his bleary eyes as Carlisle's brow furrowed. "What needs to stop?"

"The thoughts, the memories, all of it. I need everything to stop. Please, I need to sleep." He was desperate as he pleaded for the rest he needed.

Somewhere, in the back of his mind, he remembered something about not being able to survive past a certain point without sleep. Of course, he actually had been getting sleep, an hour here and an hour there, but it wasn't enough, not really. He was exhausted, in pain, and despairingly in need of a respite from the continued memories that he couldn't seem to escape no matter what he tried.

He closed his eyes and gripped his knees tighter.

"Edward –" he felt Carlisle's hand on his knee "– how long have you been unable to get a decent night's sleep?"

"Sinceigothere," he mumbled in a slur so quiet his own ear couldn't catch it.

"I'm sorry, can you repeat that?"

"Since I got here," he said again, only the slightest bit louder.

He opened his eyes as Carlisle stepped away from him and watched as he walked over to the locked medicine cabinet.

"You do understand that neither Esme nor I am able to help you if you refuse to open up to us. This could have been, while possibly not completely avoidable, at least more easily mitigated had you merely spoke up weeks ago. We are not mind readers, Edward."

Edward sneered slightly at Carlisle, not that he could see his expression with his back to him. "Talking about the things I've been through has never helped anyone."

Carlisle unlocked the medicine cabinet, opened the door, and pulled a bottle off the top shelf before closing the door and locking it up again.

When he turned to look at Edward again he stated, "Whoever told you it doesn't help?"

"I don't need anyone to tell me that."

Carlisle blew out a breath. "Look, I'm not saying you're definitely wrong. Talking doesn't necessarily help everyone, but I can guarantee you one thing. What you've been doing for the last however many years you've been doing the drugs and alcohol – all in an effort to avoid it – definitely isn't working for you. I've tried to get you to come to this conclusion on you're own, but you had Brett wake me up in the middle of the night, and I think we should both face the fact that you're still here because at least some part of you wants some sort of help. So let me help you and open up for a change."

Edward shook his head.

Carlisle sighed. "Not tonight, I can tell just by how red your eyes are that you're in desperate need of sleep. This –" he opened the bottle and dropped out a pill into his hand "– is an anti-depressant that is known to help people stay asleep. As with any medicine, there's a risk of dependency, but this is an extremely low risk medication, about the same kind of risk as you'd have of getting hooked on vitamin c pills. It's possible but unlikely."

He held the pill out and Edward grabbed it, quickly dry swallowing it before Carlisle could possibly change his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick note, the pill in question is Doxepin and is not known to be addictive. It is a medicine that has been prescribed to people in rehab suffering from things like insomnia and continued withdrawal. Obviously, though I'm not showing it, Carlisle, being a legal psychiatrist, would write up a prescription for Edward.


	119. Chapter 118 - Talk and... (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 118 – Talk and... (Emmett)**

"Hey, Emmett, would you look at these with me?"

Rosalie called out. It sounded to him like she was in her office. She must have heard when he got up from her bed and went to take a shower. He needed to convince her to buy a new bed, or let him buy one for her. The bed she slept on was horrible. He was relatively sure it was one of those counting sheep type, so firm that it left his back stiff. His bed at his place was better; softer, more comfortable, and with satin sheets.

Unfortunately, he couldn't see Rosalie ever moving into his loft. She'd already made her opinion clear of his "one-room loft." Of course, he'd beg to differ. His loft had rooms... just no doors.

He glared at her pins and needles bed for a moment longer before leaving the room and heading to Rosalie's office.

"Okay, what do you want me to look at?"

She held out a handful of papers to him with one hand while typing on her computer with the other. He reached out and took the sheets from her. It took him a moment to understand that the first paper was actually a sketch, or more specifically two sketches. It looked like a set of similar dresses, one bigger than the other.

He flipped to the next page, immediately seeing another set of matching outfits. Finally, he realized he was looking at mother-daughter sets. It was something he'd never seen from her fashion. Mostly, Rosalie only put out well designed fashion for women, though she had put out a line of suits for men two years ago. He owned one of each suit from that line... even though he never wore suits.

"So you're –" he paused to think of the word "– nesting. Perhaps you should keep it away from your work."

He looked up in time to see Rosalie rolling her eyes. "I'm not nesting. Look at the date, top right corner."

He checked the corner and noticed immediately the date was several years ago. His brow furrowed in confusion.

"I never produced them, as at the time it didn't feel like my clothing line could afford a major decline in business if it flopped, but I never throw any of my sketches away. It's up to you, Emmett, and it would take me months to get it together as I'd have to redo all the sketches to meet current fashion, but I could put a line like that together. Vera has always aspired to do big things, but she's never gotten very far. It wouldn't be too hard to let out a casual hook to bring her and her daughter to the area for a mother-daughter fashion shoot."

"I don't need you to do that. I mean I don't really have any intention to reach out to her."

Rosalie arched an eyebrow at him. "Are you sure? Having a father in a person's life is pretty huge. I mean I don't know where I'd be without my dad."

Emmett shrugged. "I turned out alright without one."

She looked at her computer and pressed her lips together.

"What?" he demanded.

"Emmett..." She trailed off and shook her head.

Emmett narrowed his eyes, getting annoyed. "Let me guess, I'm immature and still a child. You think I'm eventually going to cheat on you or perhaps you think I already am. You think that because I never really had a father figure that I never grew up. Blah blah blah. Well, sugar, let me tell you something. You aren't exactly functional yourself. You're so damn driven by that job of yours that I have to wonder if our child will ever know more of you than a fucking desk statue. Perhaps if there'd been a mother in your life, you might actually have a small knowledge of how to nurture."

Rosalie stood from her computer chair fast, her hands clenching into fists. "Fuck you, Emmett McCartney Whitlock."

"What, don't like having your own medicine thrown in your face?" he snarled.

" _I_ wasn't going to say anything."

Emmett snorted in disbelief.

"You know what? You sure like to talk a big game, but I sure haven't seen any damn proof."

His eyes widened even as his back stiffened in anger. "What the hell are you talking about? All I've done is been trying to prove it."

"Yeah, you know how to woo me. You do it so well that I hate to watch you walk out that door and go off to work. I already lost one man I loved to that damn job. I don't want to lose another because it will be infinitely worse with you. You know how to twist and turn me in a million snarls of lust, happiness, and frustration. And you aggravate me to no end. But for all that, all there is from you is talk and a hell of a cock." She threw her arms wide.

He was sure he'd tease her endlessly for the rhyming line later, but at the moment he was too busy trying to wrap his mind around her other words. "You love me?"

"Yes. You big oaf," she said, slumping her shoulders.

"Why haven't you ever told me?"

"I did! I gave you a key to my house. I cleared out half my closet and two drawers in my dresser. I invited you with me to New York. Hell, I even gave you a key to my  _Mustang._  I've never let  _anyone_ drive my Mustang, not even my little sis."

His lips twitched slightly in mirth before he schooled his features. "I still haven't heard you say it."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "I hate you. How's that for you?"

He gave her a disbelieving look. "That wasn't what you said you a moment ago."

"I can hate you and love you at the same time. Trust me."

Emmett bit down hard on his tongue to keep himself from laughing, but apparently wasn't quite able to keep his face straight.

"You're an asshole."

He probably should have been upset, at least a little, but he was still happy he got her to say the words he'd already said to her. "Oh. And why's that?

"Because you said you had a ring. Because you said you've loved me since high school, Because you talked about a Vegas wedding or a wedding in central park. And I keep opening more doors for you, but you still haven't  _asked_!" She stepped right up to him as she spoke and poked him in the chest. "What do I have to do? Pop the question myself?"

"Is that a yes then?" he asked.

"Yes to what?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest again.

"Will you run away with me to Vegas and elope with some Elvis impersonator or marry me under an arch of a thousand white roses in central park?"

"Yes!" She let out a huffed breath through her nose.

He pulled the ring out of his pants pocket, grabbing one of her hands with his other so he could place the ring on her palm and curl her fingers over it.

"There you go. I've got to get to work now."

He darted out of the room before she figured out she'd walked right into what he'd been waiting on her to do.


	120. Chapter 119 - Forest Embers (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 119 – Forest Embers (Jacob)**

He was sick and tired of working on the property on the outskirts of town, but without help from Paul and his employees, he pretty much had to clear the land alone.

Jacob closed his eyes and wiped his forehead of the sweat.

It wasn't the first time that he was seriously tempted to take some diesel and a match and watch the property burn. He'd do it too, except he'd be breaking more than one law... even if it didn't reach the Olympic National Forest. And with the way his luck had been as of late, it would definitely do that.

In all honesty, he did have a couple of friends back in La Push he could lean on for help, but he was severely unwilling to do that. His friends were also friends of Leah's, and after the stunt she'd pulled by tattling on Seth, a line had been drawn.

The fact that she'd never answered his texts or calls told him he was right in his assumption.

Part of Jacob wanted to confront her over it, but the larger part of him understood only all too well why she did it. Payback had always been her largest fire, and he knew he'd given her a lot of fuel when he'd called it off with her.

He shook his head and finished rolling the tree to the pile with the rest he'd already cut down. He'd have to rent some type of loader truck for the wood eventually, but he wanted to finish clearing the space first. Besides, he'd need to rent a stump grinder too. In fact, before everything was said and done there was going to be awhole  _lot_ of expense he'd have to put into the property. He'd have to hire someone to run all the electrical wiring to the property, hire someone to run in plumbing, and hire someone to run in gas lines. After all of that, he'd probably have to hire someone to pour the cement foundations for both his shop and Bella's restaurant. He'd figure out how to build the structures though.

Of course, at an average rate of about three trees a day, it was going to take him awhile to even start considering how he was going to pay for everything.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Unhappy with the chapter as it didn't want to write so it may be reworked later. Also, there's only about five or six chapters left in the month of September. In October things are going to get rough. Only warning I'm giving.


	121. Chapter 120 - Fuzzy (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 120 – Fuzzy (Bella)**

She set another row of the canteens up on the shelf before closing her eyes and leaning her head against the shelf, waiting on a bout of dizziness to pass. She hadn't been feeling well all day, but she was choosing to ignore it. Mike wasn't the type to easily let her take off anyways... besides, if she was being a hundred percent honest, she needed the hours.

Bella wasn't mad at Jacob for quitting his job – Dowling had always been an asshole to him. The fact that he hadn't done it several years prior was a miracle in and of itself and she knew it. But with only one paycheck, their funds were tight.

"Aren't you done with that shelf yet?" Mike asked loudly from the cash register.

She straightened her back immediately. "Just about!"

"Good, there's hiking boots that need to be put on the shelves."

She rolled her eyes. If he wanted the shoes out so bad, he could certainly unload and shelf some of the inventory himself, but she knew he wasn't going to. He'd been on a high horse ever since she'd gotten him in trouble with his wife – seeming to get a special kind of petulant enjoyment from barking orders at her.

She finished unloading the box, noting as the front door dingled and signaled there were customers. Bella knew she should greet whoever it was, but since Mike had her dealing with stocking shelves, he could say hello himself.

After a few seconds without any greeting from Mike, she rolled her eyes again, and looked up to see Katie and Eric coming down the aisle. She was about to welcome them to the store when someone smacked her leg.

"Uppity, Auntie Bells!" a little boy's voice demanded loudly.

She looked down and smiled at the little boy, bending down and quickly picking him up. Chet Yorkie, at three year old, was starting to get a little heavy to comfortably pick up, though he was definitely lighter than his two older sisters, Bianca and Valentina.

Still, as she stood up straight, with the boy in her arms, everything got super fuzzy and she closed her eyes, trying to count to ten.

"Bella! Are you alright?" Katie asked in alarm what felt like only a moment later, but when Bella opened her eyes her friend – and one time next door neighbor – was right in front of her along with Eric.

"I'm fine," she said immediately, though as the fuzziness still hadn't faded she knew she was lying through her teeth.

She was about to put Chet down when Eric grabbed him from her. "You shouldn't be picking up so much weight in your condition."

"What condition?" she asked pointedly, trying to push away the lightheaded feeling.

He arched an eyebrow and then looked at her stomach.

"I've just put on a few pounds because I've picked up stress eating –" she closed her eyes and shook her head as the dizziness suddenly got a lot worse, stepping back in the process "– I am not." She stopped, losing her train of thought. She started again. "I can't be preg..."

"Bella!"

Suddenly she felt her head connect with metal and then everything faded to black.


	122. Chapter 121 - Tether (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: First things first, I want to apologize for the fact that I haven't posted in a few days. Unfortunately, my daughter has developed colic which is messing with everything for me, writing especially. Secondly, engagement and marriage feels different for everyone, and for a lot of people they don't feel the metaphorical noose until after they're at the alter or already married. Some people never feel it, or at least never admit they do. But Rosalie's a very self sufficient woman and so even though her heart wants Emmett, her head isn't quite there yet.

**Chapter 121 – Tether (Rosalie)**

_**September 23rd, 2011** _

She looked down at the ring on her finger again. She wasn't a hundred percent sure why, but she found herself doing that often. It wasn't all for a good reason either.

On the one hand, the ring was beautiful. It had a large oval canary yellow diamond in the center with seventeen white diamond accents surrounding it, and the entire band was encrusted in more white diamond accents. Also, some part of her knew it was perfect – more so than even Emmett realized – as the diamond was the same shade of yellow as the one found in the Gerbera Daisies she loved so much.

The thing was, the ring felt weighted, stifling in a way she didn't completely understand. It didn't make sense to her though. After all, it was  _just a ring_. In the long run, it didn't mean anything. She'd seen her sister and her step sister both ruin the validity of the meaning behind such an item. Hell, even her own mom had walked out on her dad, and though Bella never openly talked about it, Rosalie knew that Renee had had boyfriends after she'd left.

She could literally slip the thing off if she wanted to. It would only take all of a second to pull it off of her finger. And yet, she couldn't. She'd already pulled the ring off several times since Emmett had given in to her, but even with it gone, the weight – the choke-hold she didn't understand – was still there.

Part of her wanted Emmett to rescind the offer of marriage. She was already married to her work and needed to remained focus on that only. The reality was, in spite of her offer to Emmett to help design a line for the sole purpose of getting his daughter to the area so he could meet her, she couldn't actually afford to be brash. The fashion industry was a fickle world, and business would only remain solid as long as she stayed on top of it all.

Her assistant, Maggie, was good – one of the best in the business actually – but Maggie was strictly an assistant. She wasn't a designer. The designing was Rosalie's job and it was a never ending thing. Her life's work was in her company. She couldn't afford to be distracted by some fickle chain that she'd never really wanted to be a part of to begin with.

And yet, even though she knew she should tell Emmett that there was no way they were going to work, she wouldn't do it, because in truth, the other part of her wanted the tether... which in all honesty, scared her all the more.


	123. Chapter 122 - Issue (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 122 – Issue (Bella)**

The blood test after she'd been rushed to the hospital had proved she was pregnant.. and the ultrasound had revealed she was with twins. In fact, she was far enough along that she was already in her second trimester, more than fifteen weeks to be exact.

Following the revelation, her doctor had warned her of her chances of carrying even one of them to term. She hadn't needed the doctor to tell her though, she'd already been told the reality of her ability to carry a child when she'd first been tested – after her first two miscarriages.

Thankfully though, she was actually far enough along that the likelihood of miscarrying had already slimmed considerably.

Not that it changed her fear. Bella had previously lost four pregnancies, and she didn't know how she'd handle it if she lost another. At least the twins were clearly fraternal based on the fact that they were two different genders, meaning even if she lost one, she wouldn't necessarily lose both.

Though she wished she hadn't found out their genders. Unfortunately, she'd had enough ultrasounds in the past to know when a baby clearly had an additional member or not. So even without the sonographer telling her their genders, she'd been able to tell from the print-offs which were provided to her.

Bella was a hundred percent certain of one thing, if she did lose this pregnancy, she wouldn't put herself through it again. She'd have to go out of Forks to have such a procedure done as the local doctor wouldn't go for a woman under thirty having anything like that done unless cancer or another life threatening disease was the reason behind it.

Bella did understand why the local doctor felt that way, but while she didn't have anything life threatening going on with her, she was sick of the continual heartbreak.

She knew it was a bad idea to already be preparing for the worst, but it was easier to focus on than the other issue she was now coming up against.

The other issue, as she'd discovered when she'd done the math, was it was entirely possible the twins could be Edward's. It was the first time that it had been an issue she'd come up against, because in all reality, Edward and her hadn't been intimate all that often – three times in the last two and a half years, to be exact.

She knew she owed it to Jake to tell him they might not be his, but Jake and her were only just beginning to find a steady middle ground in their relationship after the last three years of infidelity between them, and she didn't want to ruin it.

Sighing, she put the ultrasound pictures down before reaching for her phone to text Mike that she wouldn't be into work again


	124. Chapter 123 - Stow It (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 123 – Stow It (Jasper)**

"Did you make sure the kitchen is clean?" Alice called from one of the two bedrooms upstairs.

He grunted, before shouting back "I'm not talking to you, remember?"

He knew he was being stubborn, as well as petty, but honestly what did she expect? They'd been married for more than four years and he'd had to discover she actually  _had a kid_  by catching her in the act of throwing out things she never should have had to begin with.

Jasper looked around the kitchen again to make sure that it was clean.

He was so busy checking out the kitchen that he didn't hear Alice come down the stairs.

"Don't talk to me tomorrow. Today, stow it. In case you forgot, we have someone coming to check out the house and us... unless you've decided you don't want the girls after all, that is."

He jumped at the sound of her voice so close to him, but managed to slowly turn around. "I don't know, are you sure you can trust me to be a father? You apparently couldn't trust me to be a husband."

Alice clenched her fists tightly at her sides. "It wasn't about trust, Jasper."

"Really? And what else would you call it?"

"It's just something that I always intended to take to the grave with me. You should understand that. It wasn't about you."

"And how is that  _not_  a matter of trust?" he demanded, completely ignoring her jibe and immediately regretting it as Alice put her hands on her hips – the only warning he was going to get which told him he probably should have dropped it... or at least ran for cover now.

"Okay, lets swap stories. Tell me, just what does it feel like to spend a year in a cave? Or why don't you tell me a little about what it's like to kill? Or perhaps you can tell me what it was like to be told you'd been dishonorably discharged while laid up in the hospital. Please, spare no details," her voice was scathing as she spoke.

He flinched. "That's different."

"You're right, it _is_  different. One is more than a decade old and has no part of our current lives while the other is a continuing struggle for you to deal with. But I never push. So unless you have a sudden desire to have some sort of epic heart to heart about things that are definitely better left buried...  _stow your crap_. We have a guest arriving in –" she looked at the clock on the wall "– less than forty minutes now. You can go back to not talking to me tomorrow."

Alice turned and walked back towards the stairs without waiting on a reply.


	125. Chapter 124 - Ferrets (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 124 – Ferrets (Edward)**

"Have you been sleeping better now?"

Edward pressed his lips together, turning his head away from Carlisle. Technically speaking, the meds did help him sleep, but it was more like he became trapped in the nightmares he always had and was completely unable to escape. In all honesty, it was a worse torment for him than the insomnia had been. At least the insomnia had allowed him to escape  _that_  mental torture – it didn't let him escape his memory, but that was another issue entirely.

Finally, he gave one sharp nod, still not looking at Carlisle.

"If it's not working for you, you need to let me know. Though most sleep aids aren't recommended for people with substance abuse problems, there are other options if it's not strong enough."

"It's  _too_  strong," he grumbled.

"What was that?"

He looked towards Carlisle at last to see him staring at him in confusion. "It's too strong," he stated again, slightly louder.

"That's what I thought you said the first time, but I was sure I was misunderstanding you. Can you please explain what you mean by that?"

"I can't wake up when I need to. It forces me to stay asleep through the nightmares."

"And what are the nightmares about?"

"Ferrets," he replied succinctly. There was also sometimes a rabbit and a hawk, or occasionally a tortoise, and other times there was a mockingbird. He didn't see the point in mentioning them though. It was the ferret that  _always_  appeared.

"Ferrets? In one context?"

He shrugged. "It doesn't matter and I don't want to talk about it."

He didn't need Carlisle analyzing his fucked up head.

"I thought we talked about this. You keeping everything shut in your head doesn't seem to work for you. You need to try a different approach."

He shrugged again. "Why? It's not like it will work. It's not like it _matters_. Not really." Well, not to anyone but him and Alice.

Carlisle sighed in what sounded like exasperation. "I'll get you a slightly lower dosage and we'll try this again tomorrow."


	126. Chapter 125 - Pushing (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Okay, I don't do a lot of lemons, to start with, it's hard to define the line between M and NC-17, which, as I've stated before, my primary site for posting is ffn and M is the max rating there. Second, they aren't my forte. And finally, I actually have step children who are old enough to be reading my work, so it's very uncomfortable for me. That being said, this is partly a lemon... or at least a lime. It is between Seth and Garrett, so if you don't guy on guy, you can choose to not read this chapter. If you choose to read it, I tried to put a certain amount of beauty into this in the form of the innocence of it, but it is also supposed to be awkward. Hopefully I do it justice.

**Chapter 125 – Pushing (Seth)**

Seth walked back and forth across the floor of the living room with all the fancy art and beautiful sculptures. It was still hard to believe so much beauty could exist in such a small space. More amazing still, was the fact that the man who owned the small apartment surpassed it all as far as Seth was concerned.

Somehow, in the last three weeks, he'd practically made Garrett's apartment as his own home. More often than not, he made it back to the apartment for the night before Garrett did. Tonight, Seth was anxious for Garrett to get home.

Garrett hadn't been pushing for anything, but Seth wanted – needed even – to take it to the next level. He was desperate to know that he was truly desired in such a way, but he had no idea what he was doing. His extremely limited experience with intimacy when it came to men kept him pacing the living room floor while he waited on the guy he was falling for to arrive home.

He closed his eyes for a moment, trying to relax, when the door opened.

He shot across the room and grabbed Garrett's neck with his good hand – his other was still in a cast – pulling him down to kiss him soundly.

Garrett pulled back after a moment. "Not that I'm complaining, but what's the enthusiastic welcome for?"

"I..." he trailed off almost immediately, completely embarrassed by what he wanted and not sure how to even bring up the topic of what he wanted. In all honesty, even the handful of times he'd slept with Leah, it had been while he was drunk and there hadn't been much talk involved. He looked down and noticed the bag in Garrett's hand – food from a take-out joint not to far from from here – and immediately grabbed the bag, stepping back. "Can we eat later? I just –"

The finger under his chin stopped his mumbling. "Hey, talk to me, Seth. What is it you want?"

He reached behind him and placed the food on a stool near the small island at the edge of the kitchen space. "Can we go to your bedroom, please?"

He took Garrett's hand and walked backwards, Garrett walking with him. He knew when Garrett figured out what he was getting at, because his slightly confused expression cleared.

"Are you sure?" Garrett asked softly as soon as they entered his bedroom.

Seth closed his eyes. "Please... I need –" he shook his head "– I just need..."

"Okay, I've got you." Garrett leaned down and kissed Seth softly, backing him farther into the room in the process.

Seth closed his eyes as Garrett's hands traced up his sides, bunching his shirt up in doing so. As Garrett pulled away from the kiss he murmured, "Arms up."

Seth immediately obeyed, feeling the shirt skim over his chest and off over his head. He shivered, feeling more exposed than he wanted to truly admit to himself even. He felt Garrett press his lips to his again briefly, and opened his eyes when Garrett pulled away – just in time to see him grab the back of the collar of his own shirt and pull it off over his head one handed.

This time, Seth shuddered for an entirely different reason as he took in all of the exposed skin. Even though they'd been sleeping in the same bed for three weeks, Garrett had always been cautious about pushing Seth, wearing tees and sleep pants to bed, so aside from seeing his back a couple of times in the mornings – it was a first for him. Garrett was toned, and while he understood it was because Garrett did his best to stay fit in order to keep up his health, it was to Seth's benefit as he stared.

"We don't have to go all the way tonight if you don't want to," Garrett stated quietly, but Seth didn't need him to say it. Seth was already fully aware that Garrett would never push him.

Tonight, he was pushing himself.

He leaned up on his toes and kissed Garrett quickly. "Please."

Garrett looked at him for a moment before nodding slightly, proceeding to push him backwards until the backs of his knees hit the bed. Garrett dropped to his knees, undoing the button and lowering the zipper on Seth's pants, pulling them and his boxers down at the same time.

"Sit down." Garrett nudged Seth slightly as he spoke and Seth obliged, lifting his feet so Garrett could pull the clothes off.

Seth gasped as Garrett suddenly swallowed him whole. It was the weirdest feeling, the head of his cock being surrounded by Garrett's throat. Austin had once talked to him about deep throating, but it was the first time he'd ever felt it. He closed his eyes and groaned as Garrett swallowed around him, his body bucking without him deciding to.

Hands pressing against his hips forced him to lay back and prevented him from bucking again as Garrett moved up and down on his cock, his tongue stroking the underside in such a way that Seth rocked his head from side to side, immediately on edge.

A moment later, Garrett released him. "Move up the bed," he murmured as he stood.

Seth pushed himself back across the bed as he watched Garrett take off his pants, bending over to take off his shoes and socks. Seth's eyes widened as he saw Garrett's size when he stood straight. He swallowed, Seth was a little bit larger than strictly average at just over six inches when erect, but Garrett had to have a good two inches on him.

He clenched his eyes shut.

It took a few seconds, but he felt as Garrett got on the bed beside him, and then a hand pressed against his cheek. "Hey, we don't have to do anything more tonight, Seth."

Seth shook his head. He'd started all this, he wasn't about to back out because he was afraid.

Garrett rolled him to his side and kissed him gently. Seth opened his eyes and looked at Garrett as he pulled back after a second. "I'm not going to take advantage of you while you're freaked, Seth."

Seth frowned and then kissed Garrett, pulling his lower lip into his mouth and biting down while deliberately pushing himself against him. He loved that Garrett wanted to be gentle with him, but he desperately needed more – screw his fear. He rotated his hips, rubbing his dick against Garrett's before Garrett growled and rolled them, pressing Seth onto his back.

Garret ground himself against him. "This what you need?" he asked darkly, leaning into his ear.

Seth groaned, only half trying to find a rhythm under the punishing feel of Garrett's movements.

Garrett bit down on his ear and Seth cried out as his orgasm rushed through him.


	127. Chapter 126 - X (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 126 – X (Leah)**

_**October 14th, 2011** _

She looked at the calendar on the wall and let out a breath of relief. She'd made it another day without any contact from the man. She knew she should probably report what she'd found out, but she just wanted to forget it and the man who'd told her. Then again, waking up in a cold sweat and crossing off every day on the calendar that passed wasn't exactly what most would call a person putting it behind them.

She shook her head and put an X on the thirteenth before scrunching her nose at the date.

Embry and Quil were both playing youth football that afternoon and her mom had called to remind her of it, like she needed the reminder. She probably knew her two half-brothers' schedules better than her mom did. After all, she was the one they called when they needed help with a homework assignment.

Of course, they called her because she'd give them the answers – not exactly conducive with truly teaching or helping them, but they were both more brawn than brain... and yes, she knew exactly how bad that sounded to think such a thing of her little brothers. But, in all honesty, she didn't think it was a bad thing. Most times she wished she'd been born that way.

Perhaps if she'd been a normal dumb lunk like most of the people who graduated out of Quileute Tribal School she wouldn't seem to be the biggest disappointment the elders chose to gossip about. They didn't get it though. She didn't need someone to tell her she was smart, didn't need someone to tell her she had abandonment issues and anger issues, she already knew.

The thing was, if she didn't have the IQ she did, most people would see her as a normal teen, because at the end of the day what teen didn't make a few bad choices when it came to love? What teen never threw a tantrum? What teen never did something they were told not to just because they could? What teen  _always_  did the right thing?

She liked being a normal rebellious teen, at least until March... Then she'd be a normal rebellious twenty year old. The elders and everyone else could mind their own business.


	128. Chapter 127 - Covers & Latches (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 127 – Covers & Latches (Alice)**

"The woman does realize the kids we're looking to adopt are six and eight right? Not infants?" Jasper asked as he looked over the list of items needed that had been mailed to them by the adoption agency.

She'd already looked over the list, twice. There was everything from door knob covers to socket covers to appliance latches for the oven and the fridge on the list. Naturally, she agreed with him and his assessment. It was a completely insane list. But...

"Unfortunately, we have to play by their bullshit if we want to get either of the kids."

"But why? I mean honestly? I'm pretty sure neither Athenodora nor Maysun is some sort of double jointed acrobat that can squish into an impossibly small space."

She laughed, though she suspected there was a chance Maysun was double jointed. The little girl certainly had bent in on herself easy enough when she'd been hiding near the wall.

"Also, what the hell are table bumpers and why are they necessary?" he grumbled.

She quickly pulled up a website on her laptop and turned it to show him. "Rubber corner guards for the tables, and I'm pretty sure none of it is truly necessary, but most of the reading I've done on the adoption process agrees that agencies generally do their best to make it difficult. I guess it's partly to prove them the adopters are willing to go the extra mile. After all, if they approve the adoption than the adopter is now responsible to raise, provide for, and cherish another life. It's not something to be taken lightly."

"Aren't there other ways to test that? I mean we're talking about adopting a refugee who is so afraid of men that almost no one else would ever consider adopting her, and Athenodora... I don't actually know how to describe her situation."

"You're looking for the words histrionic pathological liar. At least that's what the medical facility where she did her mandatory seventy-two hour stint determined her to be. Apparently, they believe the mom over her." A fact that pissed her off to no end.

"Exactly, so why do they want us to jump these ridiculous hurdles?" he grumbled.

"Because they can make us. Don't worry, I'll order the stuff online"

Jasper shook his head. "I know we have to, but it's a serious waste of money." He sighed. "The insane thing is that if Hilda's little halfway house is shut down than without willing people to adopt the kids, most of them will become either wards of psychiatric facilities or juvie. Shouldn't adoption agencies care enough to protect the kids from that kind of stuff if it's at all possible?"

"No arguments there." She grabbed the list back from him so she could start getting it all.


	129. Chapter 128 - Heels (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 128 – Heels (Rosalie)**

"What's the name of this potential model again?" Rosalie asked as she glanced at Maggie.

She'd have preferred to have spent the day at home in Forks, maybe gone on a date with Emmett or convinced him to stay in bed with her... even if she suspected she was going to have to get a new bed soon as he kept complaining about how uncomfortable her bed was. She didn't have any problems with it though.

Instead, she was in Seattle, waiting to meet a potential model to fill the role that had been left open after she'd fired Siobhan.

"Noella Ortiz," Maggie said from where she was sitting behind her desk.

"She's late." Rosalie looked at the clock on the wall and noted the time of five minutes after two.

"She's a university student. It's possible her class was held late or something."

Rosalie turned to stare at her assistant in shock. "How old is she?"

"Nineteen."

"Is that even  _legal_?" Rosalie knew it was, but she'd always been careful to get seasoned models so that they'd know how to behave.

Maggie looked toward the ceiling in exasperation. "Of course it is. Do you think I'd ever do anything illegal and in the process risk the investment I put in when I helped you get started?"

Rosalie knew she wouldn't but... "Nineteen? Doe she have any experience?"

"Depends on what experience you're looking for," a voice said as a girl practically fell through the door.

And – nineteen or not – she was a girl. The girl was probably about five foot seven or eight when she stood straight and had an oval face with the slightest amount of baby fat around the cheeks, but otherwise tight features which suggested an Eastern European background. Nothing else did though. Her skin was dark enough that it clearly wasn't a tan but no where near as dark as any of the triplets, her eyes appeared to be black but were likely a very dark brown, and she had bleached dreadlocks which had to be at least half her length.

She wasn't what a lot of people would consider to be a traditional beauty, but she was interesting. And, as proven by Charlotte, interesting helped to sell Rosalie's fashion.

"Modeling."

The girl's nose scrunched for a moment. "Well... I have modeled, but never clothes, and I've never walked a catwalk."

"Okay, what have you modeled?"

"I, errr, posed in front of an art class naked so they could draw. Free credit hour just to remain in the same place for a few hours."

Rosalie bit her tongue to keep from laughing. She remembered that offering when she'd first started at the university.

"That's not modeling," Maggie said.

Her voice was uptight, telling Rosalie she was getting annoyed.

"It's actually the oldest form of modeling there is. I mean Adam is always shown posing with a fig leaf in front of his jewels."

Rosalie snorted, smiling slightly even as Maggie grunted.

"It  _is not_ modeling. It's laziness. As you practically fell on your face when you opened the door after clearly listening in to our conversation rather than being pro –"

Rosalie raised her hand in Maggie's direction in a stop motion, causing her to cut off her tirade.

"Do you have any experience in heels?"

The girl looked at her feet, muttering, "I'm more of a chucks kind."

"Three doors down the hall on the left is my head of production. Her name's Sulpicia. Go find her and tell her I sent you to learn the art of the catwalk." When she didn't immediately move Rosalie stated, "Now."

The girl jumped to her feet and darted out the door.

"Sulpicia? She's a seamstress."

Rosalie could feel Maggie's eyes on the side of her head

"She started out as a model, just like most people do in this industry."

There was deafening silence for a moment

"But Sulpicia's ornery as hell. She'll crush her and proceed to spit her out," Maggie finally spluttered.

"I suspect the girl has a stronger backbone than you think." Rosalie stood from her chair. "It takes a certain amount of balls to pose nude in front of an entire art class. Trust me. But if I'm wrong than at least she'll be weeded out and we can move forward with finding another model. Preferably someone with experience." She turned to look at her assistant.

Maggie typed even as she made an exaggerated eye roll. "And if she survives stiletto camp?"

"Then I suppose she's hired. And if she can't handle it next month in London when all of you head there for the fashion shoot, I suppose you'll buy her a ticket home and fire her ass. It's pretty simple."

Maggie's brow furrowed. "All of us? Not you?"

Rosalie waved her hand at her belly. "I'll be seven months along by November. I'm not flying to London. You'll handle everything. And I'll convince my aunt to go as well, just in case you need the extra help."

"Irina? What about Alice?"

"She'll fly to London as soon as they invent continual intravenous Valium for flying. Just convincing her to fly to New York took an act of God."

Maggie chuckled.

"Now, I'm going to go see how the girl handles her heels." Rosalie turned and headed out the door.


	130. Chapter 129 - Pre-Something (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 129 – Pre-Something (Jacob)**

Who knew a church pastor could be so bloody nosy? Oh wait, he did. After all, Bella and him had gone through a similar inquisition when they'd gotten married a little over five years ago... by the same pastor too. Maybe Pastor Weber just had a hard-on for being an ass.

"I can understanding that renewing vows may sound like a good idea, perhaps even an exciting new adventure, but are you sure that it is what is best?" Pastor Weber asked.

"Yes, I'm sure," Jacob stated stubbornly.

Pastor Weber looked toward Bella.

She raised her chin. "This is what we want and need."

The pastor glanced between him and Bella.

"Have you considered marriage counseling?"

He sighed. He'd seen that question coming before they'd even arrived for this mandatory pre-something-or-other. He couldn't remember what the session was called.

"What would a marriage counselor tell us that we don't already know?" Bella asked calmly. "It's not like we aren't aware of our past."

Weber glanced between them again.

Jacob had wanted to do the vow renewal at a justice of the peace and be done with it, but Bella had been insistent that she wanted to go through the pastor... so they were going through him. Jacob was wishing more by the minute that they were going through with his idea instead.

"This is a small town, as such it shouldn't surprise either of you that I'm aware of the –" he paused for a moment, licking his lips "– gossip and other info I've heard about your past. I'm a man of god and a pastor of this church, so I would never recommend divorce but when there is so much tur –"

"Now listen here, you –" Jacob cut him off – starting to go off on a tirade – only to be cut off himself when Bella put her hand on his knee.

"We're flawed, simple humans, Pastor Weber. Jacob and I were kids when we got married and neither of us were ready to deal with certain things. We hadn't thought, at that time, about tons of things. Everything from taxes to housing and vehicles to a ton of other things. Some of which is quite personally. Sadly, adult life took a tole on both of us and we both made choices that hurt not only each other, but ourselves as well. And I'm not saying it won't happen again, but we both want a fresh start in our relationship. Seeing a counselor, as you're suggesting, would not be a fresh start for either of us – it would just be a rehashing of the past we've already agreed to put behind us. This, renewing our vows, is the fresh start that we need."

Pastor Weber sighed and shook his head.


	131. Chapter 130 - Pass (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 130 – Pass (Edward)**

Carlisle was getting on his last nerve. Was it seriously that hard to understand that he didn't want to talk about it? It wasn't like it was was rocket science. At least he certainly didn't think it was.

But Carlisle was sitting at his desk, patient as ever, asking the same annoying questions he always did – and part of Edward was honestly tempted to check if Carlisle was a wind up toy or had an off switch somewhere as a result.

Edward didn't know much about psychiatrists, the only thing close to one that he'd ever been to before, was the counselor in school – and after his fake medical record had come out, the only thing the counselor had wanted was for him to admit was he was the one harming himself... To be completely honest, he'd finally agreed with the counselor simply to shut her up, though he still wanted to know how he supposedly got his own dick in his ass. He was pretty sure it was humanly impossible, but whatever.

Still, for all his limited knowledge, he was fairly sure that, traditionally, most eventually asked different questions or at least asked them in another way, but Carlisle never seemed to. He was seemingly relentless with the same questions.

"Pass," Edward muttered.

"Come again?" Carlisle asked.

He knew he'd been plenty loud enough for Carlisle to hear. He glared at the man. "I. Said. Pass." He enunciated each word with pointed aggravation.

Carlisle sighed. "I thought we'd already agreed that you need to open up and talk about –"

"No, you agreed. I simply listened. I don't want to talk about it. You can't tell me that you honestly want to hear it. Nobody's  _that_  masochistic."

Carlisle looked at him seriously. "It doesn't matter if I want to. I don't think it matters if you do or don't want to, because you need to." Carlisle looked down at his desk for a moment before he returned to eyeing him. "This isn't a court mandated rehab, you came here of your own freewill. You're still here and there's only a few short weeks left of your time, so something is keeping you here. It isn't me, because as I've told you, I can't force a person to stay. This leads me to believe that some part of you feels an urge to get help, because lets be honest, as it sits, when you go home you're most likely going to go back to the drugs you take... and you aren't like some of the people who come here. Some people who do drugs, do them for relaxation or the high of it, and can ultimately stop themselves after they've reached their limit, whether that be one hit or five of their drug of choice. But you, you're the kind of person who keeps taking one hit after another and won't stop until you're passed out, because the drugs aren't really stopping anything for you."

Edward turned his head away. He didn't want to hear it. Unfortunately, not looking at him didn't stop his ability to hear.

"Maybe the last overdose scared you enough to stay here, I'm not sure. But whatever the case is, you haven't been taking it seriously, and if you return home like this you'll just continue to overdose until eventually it kills you. Perhaps that's what part of you wants."

Edward shrugged, opening up the tiniest bit. "I'm not suicidal, if that's what you mean, but honestly, what's the point?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"There's all of two people that would miss me if I died. Three if you count my dad. And they'd all be better off without me." He got up from his chair and exited the room before Carlisle could come up with a reply.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I've many people say that depression is the worst thing out there, because depression can make people a lot of things: suicidal, violent, afraid, and more. But there's something a few people hit at some point in their life that's – in my opinion – a lot worse, and that's indifference.


	132. Chapter 131 - Cousin's Choice (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 131 – Cousin's Choice (Jasper)**

_**October 17th, 2011** _

"Talk some sense into your cousin. She's lost it," Alice demanded as she stomped out of the side room off of the vestibule.

He smiled slightly. "What do you want me to tell her?"

"To pull her head out of her ass," Alice snarled before she walked off angrily.

He shook his head before he entered the room where Bella was. He was sure his mom – her aunt – wouldn't appreciate it, but he honestly thought she looked like a mirror reflection of how Irina had looked several decades prior. She had the wrong hair color, but that was it.

"The dress is perfect for you," he said as he stepped closer.

The mid-calf deep blue dress hugged her curves beautifully, accentuating the baby bump. He couldn't remember who, but someone had always said blue brought out her eyes and they were right.

Bella arched her eyebrow at him. " Didn't Alice send you in here to talk me out of this?"

"It isn't my job to tell you what to do, cousin."

He knew Alice would rather see Bella with Edward, but he honestly didn't agree. Jacob was a healthier option than the man who couldn't go more than thirty minutes without a hit of something. Jasper would never say it aloud, but he honestly wished both Alice and Bella would cut all ties with Edward.

He didn't blame the man for his addictions as he understood exactly why Edward was the way he was, but sometimes, some people couldn't be saved. Jasper had pegged Edward as one such person years ago.

Still, just as it wasn't his job to tell Bella what to do, it wasn't his place to judge if Alice and Bella continued to associate with Edward.

"But, are you sure this is what you really want?" he asked. Okay, so he wasn't much of a fan of Jacob either.

"Jacob and I both need this. We've both agreed that it's the best for us. He's working on property for his auto-shop and the restaurant I always wanted. I'm pregnant with twins. Our lives are going to remain entwined for an indefinite amount of time. Besides, we promised from the beginning that it was till death do us part, and my word is all I have."

Jasper sighed. "Okay, well... I'll see you out there then."

He walked out of the room and headed to the sanctuary – where he was sure he would find Alice in spite of her complaints. It wasn't until he was almost there that he realized Bella hadn't actually answered the question he asked.


	133. Chapter 132 - Intimate Gathering (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 132 – Intimate Gathering (Leah)**

Leah shushed Claire as she clung to her hip. She honestly didn't want to hear her little half-sister babble on about her 'pretty sissy' standing at the front of the church sanctuary.

She felt like she was in a case of deja vu, only this time they weren't there because her mom had a thing for the local sheriff. At least she sincerely hoped Sue didn't have a thing for Emmett, the one-night stand she'd had with him at one point was disturbing enough for Leah. Leah couldn't imagine her mom marrying someone young enough to be her son, not mention young enough to be Leah's brother.

But still, Leah was there to monitor her two half-brothers – and her half-sister as well this time. She knew that neither Bella nor Jake had invited her. Her mom had insisted though, like she needed the reminder that she'd lost him. Of course, her mom still thought she was going to marry Seth. Leah had seen no point to let it out that they'd broken it off.

The fact that Jake and Bella had invited Sue honestly chapped Leah to no end. Why had they invited  _her mom_? Okay, so she knew Embry and Quil were Jacob's half-brothers and Claire was Bella's half-sister, but it wasn't like Embry and Quil cared or that Claire would even remember when she was older.

Still, it wasn't so much who was at the little vow renewal ceremony that shocked her as who wasn't. Rachel and Paul weren't there, Seth wasn't there, and even Edward was missing. She'd always been under the assumption that Bella and Edward were joined at the hip, though she knew part of her assumption was fueled by Jacob's jealousy – he'd vented to her enough about it since they'd started their affair.

Leah seriously was contemplating shouting 'I object to this!' if the pastor asked about anyone having a reason to not go through with the union. She'd do it too... if she wasn't certain her mother would kill her for it. Besides, she was relatively sure the question wasn't asked during vow renewals.

Bella and Jacob were both standing at the front of the church, waiting on Pastor Weber to join them up front, which was... different. Leah had never been to a vow renewal before, but she'd initially assumed it would go exactly the same way as a wedding, even though she'd read the invite her mom had received which had mentioned something about an 'intimate gathering for close family and friends.'

There'd been no thoroughfare of bridal music when Bella had come in – probably a good thing as Leah definitely would have sang to it with some less than appropriate lyrics – and Bella had actually entered through a door on the side of the small sanctuary rather than walking down the aisle.

As she was watching Jacob and hoping he'd glance at her, she overheard Alice and Jasper up a few rows from her say something about Edward and rehab. She supposed it explained why he wasn't here.

Finally, just as Claire started babbling in her ear again about her 'pretty sissy,' Jacob glanced toward her. She stared back at him, wondering to herself if she nodded her head toward one of the doors and headed that way if he'd follow. He looked away before she could decide.

She gave a half smile, keeping her eyes fixated on Jacob even as she noticed Bella look at her.


	134. Chapter 133 - Mentality (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 133 – Mentality (Seth)**

He had to stay up with his classes. He had to work... At least, those had been the excuses he'd come up with when Jacob had called to verify he was coming.

The truth was, missing a couple of classes and a day of work was hardly that big of a deal, but he didn't want Jacob to feel like he couldn't invite Rachel. It wasn't fair to his big brother, to make him separate his life from his big sisters all because Seth couldn't be straight, he ought to know, he'd certainly tried hard enough.

But Garrett made him happy – the man made him enjoy life, freedom, and so much more. Garrett showed him beauty in the most basic of things and elegance in the most abstract of places.

Still, for all of that, Seth couldn't help but feel like he was letting his family and his heritage down. Jacob didn't care, but he knew how his sisters felt about the subject, just as his dad – and quite likely his mom – had. His younger half-brothers were still too young to have an educated opinion, but he knew where Sue stood on the subject and they'd likely follow in her beliefs, and though her opinion wasn't as negative as his own family... it left him little doubt as to what the end result would be.

With the exception of Jacob, his screwed up mentality had effectively alienated him from his entire family and he hated it.

The art teacher signaled the end of the Art Studies class he'd failed to pay any attention to. He looked at the clock on the wall, noting the time as being late enough that the little ceremony he'd missed was probably also over.

Seth got out of his chair and headed outside so he could get to his next class, but stopped when he saw Garrett leaning against a light pole.

"Aren't you supposed to be teaching a Pottery class for another thirty minutes?"

"Yes, and my students are in the middle of working on their projects. I can afford to step out for a few minutes. I wanted to check on you."

"I'm fine," Seth said instantly, not that Garrett would believe him – he'd been there when Seth had gotten the call from Jacob.

Garrett frowned slightly. "You do know it's alright to hate them, don't you? There's nothing wrong with who you are. What is wrong is their decision to treat you differently because of it."

"I know." But he wasn't certain he believed it.

"Seth –"

"I know what you're going to say. It's just hard for me to be out. I've spent so long hiding it, and not only from others but myself as well. I'll get used to it." Seth smiled lightly. "I've got to get to class."

Garrett looked around for a second before stepping forward and giving him a brief kiss. "We'll go somewhere when you get off."


	135. Chapter 134 - I'm Done (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: As a child, I remember riding on a roller coaster that had a floor that was pulled out from under you. It was supposed to be exciting, let you see the ground and everything beneath you, but all I remember at least at first, was the terror. Similarly in life, sometimes the floors falls out from underneath you. And it can be terrifying.

**Chapter 134 – I'm Done (Bella)**

She'd waited until they got home, not wanting to cause a scene in front of their friends and family. She'd tried to convince herself that she was seeing things that weren't there – tried to tell herself it was no big deal. But she couldn't get Leah's smile out of her head from after Jacob glanced her way.

"I can't do this," she said quietly.

"What?" Jacob looked at her.

"I saw you look at her, Jacob, and I've spent the better part of the day trying to convince myself it meant nothing, but I can't do it. I'm always going to wonder, every time we run into her, are you still secretly doing her? I'm always going to be jealous. Of her. And that's not fair to either of us. I thought I could give us a fresh start, but it isn't going to work."

"I was just glancing around the sanctuary. It meant nothing."

"Really? So that's why when I glanced over there she was smiling like you'd just told her the world's greatest secret?"

"I don't know what you're talking about. She wasn't smiling when I looked at her."

Bella ground her teeth together. "Part of me wants to believe you, god knows I should believe you, as your wife if nothing else, but I  _can't_. I know what I saw, and that's a problem, because the only thing it leads me to believe is that her and you aren't done. And even if you are finished with her... Now I know I'm never going to believe it."

"What are yo saying, then?" he bit out.

"I'm saying I'm done. I can't do this, Jacob. It's not fair to you for me to think that way, because we're never going to have a fresh start as long as I believe it. And since I now know my reaction to  _one smile_ , I know damn well you're never going to trust me when Edward gets out of rehab. The only way we could possibly make it work is if we moved away from here and cut off all ties to everyone. We both know that isn't going to happen. My sister is here, your siblings are here, both of our friends are here, and you just invested in major property. We're never going to work."

"Don't tell me how  _I'll feel_."

"You were jealous of Edward even before he and I took it farther. Don't even try to tell me that you won't be jealous now."

His fists clenched at his sides for a moment before he spun and slammed his fist into the mirror hung on the wall.

Bella flinched sightly.

"Shouldn't you have figured this out  _before_  we renewed our vows?"

"I wanted it to work, dammit. I wanted us to have a second chance, but there's too much bad blood between us. We lost  _our son_  on  _your watch_ , and then instead of talking  _to me_ you started sleeping around with  _Leah_. And I get it, because I felt that pain too. I felt that  _agony_  when you screamed at me and  _blamed me_  for the fact that my mom was an addict who screwed up my body. I've felt that pain every single time I've lost a child. But I  _never_ took it out on you. So fuck you and the horse you rode in on, Jacob William Black."

"You're one to talk! You want to blame your mom for your damaged uterus and then you went and started up a relationship with a drug addict!" he snarled.

"I slept with him  _three times_  in the last  _two and a half years_ , and never when he was high." Except the last time, but she wasn't about to admit that. "I've walked in on you with Leah more than that! And the killer is that I could forgive you for it, I really could, but you promised me the moon, Jacob. You  _promised_ , from the very beginning, to be there for me. You promised me a family. But the instant it got hard, you ran away from our relationship.  _From me_. And today, on a day that should have been about us, Leah smiles at you like you fucked her just last night. And I can't be certain that you didn't."

"I was working on the property I bought for us last night. You know that."

She shook her head. "I don't know that, though. And I'm done. I can't do it anymore." She stepped backwards.

Jacob spun suddenly and headed back towards the front door, snatching up his keys on the way out.


	136. Chapter 135 - Brights Ahead (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 135 – Brights Ahead (Jacob)**

He pressed his foot harder down on the gas pedal of the little Nissan, not caring that it was raining cats and dogs on the road in front of him.

Jacob couldn't stop going over the conversation with her, trying to figure out exactly how to fix it – more specifically wondering if he even should. He was tempted to turn the car around and get her to change her mind as he knew the right buttons to push when it came to her. After all, it was why he'd thrown out the vow renewal when he had, because he'd known Bella had been pulling away from him.

Of course, Leah had gone and ruined it. He couldn't even be surprised by it, it was so  _typically_  Leah. It was why he'd been so shocked when he'd spotted her at the ceremony, he'd specifically made sure there was no invite sent to her.

The rain picked up and he cursed under his breath as he rotated the speed on his wipers to high.

If Bella really wanted to end it, he could end it. It would take minimal effort to kick her out of the house, the place had never been in her name to start with. A vindictive part of him wanted to do it, but he knew he'd never go through with it. Especially since, at the end of the day, he couldn't blame her for anything she'd said. Her words had been iron hot and deadly accurate... and he knew it even if he didn't want to admit it to himself.

Someone came around the curve in the road heading in his direction with their brights on. Jacob clenched his eyes shut against the sudden onslaught just as his front tire hit a pothole in the road, the sudden jerk causing the steering wheel to rip out of his hands.

His eyes flashed open as the car spun out of control and he quickly grabbed the wheel again, but too late to be effective as the car careened into the forest, heading straight for a tree.

Everything went black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I could be an asshole and leave it with people wondering, but I figured I'd give some people relief of mind. He's not dead.


	137. Chapter 136 - Lucky (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 136 – Lucky (Emmett)**

_**October 18th, 2011** _

Sometimes it didn't pay to be the chief of police, and when Emmett got a call just after midnight about a car wreck a few miles out of town, he knew it was going to be one of those days.

Even before he arrived at the scene, his gut told him he would know who it was. It was one of the bad things about being in his position in such a small town. Unfortunately, he knew almost everyone. And not just in Forks, but in most of the smaller towns surrounding Forks as well.

With the exception of disturbance calls, an occasional break-in, and a few acts of domestic violence, about the only calls that ever came in were car wrecks and suicides. Charlie's death had been the last shooting, and before that, there hadn't been one in over three decades – before Emmett had even been born.

Emmett pulled to a stop where his deputy, Mark, was already parked.

He swallowed when he recognized the car that was smashed practically in half against a tree that was likely over two hundred years old.

The green 1998 Nissan was extremely recognizable to him, and not just because he'd gone to a vow renewal of the person who owned that car only a few hours earlier.

Emmett got out of the car and headed over to his deputy. "Who all was in the car?" He didn't really want to know. He knew only Jake ever drove it and if Bella had been in there as well... the damage on the passenger side was significantly worse than the driver's side.

"Jacob Black, ambulance pulled away just a few minutes before you got here. Kid's lucky, if he'd hit about six inches more to the right, they'd have been pulling out a body."

Jacob was only five years younger than he was and Emmett had half a mind to snap at Mark that he wasn't a kid. Of course, given that Mark was 51, Emmett knew that even he was sometimes called a kid by the man. Besides, it wasn't the time or the place to have that argument.

"I'm going to head to Bella's, she doesn't need to find this out via a phone call."

Nobody ever needed to find something like what he was looking at now out via phone. Mark had said Jake was lucky, but he knew based on the damage to the car, he'd probably have several broken bones along with who knew how much other damage. Emmett had always been the type to believe that he'd rather be dead if he got in such a horrific wreck.

He shook his head and went back to his car.


	138. Chapter 137 - The Wait (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 137 – The Wait (Bella)**

She paced the waiting room floor at the hospital. She was tempted to call Rosalie and ask her to come, but she'd already told Emmett to let her sister sleep. Rosalie didn't need the stress anymore than Bella did.

Not for the first time, Bella wished she had the ability to reverse time. In fact, the first time she'd ever wished it had been the day she'd been stopped by a cop for stealing a breakfast sandwich from a grocery store – she'd been nine. A few weeks later she'd been placed with her dad. She was sure her dad had known, but the only person she'd ever told the story to was Jacob.

Now, she wished she could take back what she'd said to him, but even if she could... she knew she shouldn't.

Sometimes, some people, no matter how much they loved each other, simply weren't compatible as a couple. Jacob and her had spent over five years married, and if the promises she'd made to him were enough to tie them together, she'd stay, but the truth of the matter was that it wasn't enough. It would never be enough.

And no matter what Jacob's intentions had been with the fresh start, the reality was there would never be a fresh start for them. Even if they could somehow bury their jealousy there was so much emotional trauma in their past that it would be impossible to ever truly star over. Besides, everyone knew what the road to hell was paved in.

No matter what though, she hadn't expected him to end up going off in a rage and getting in a wreck.

In fact, in her own way, she'd been trying to set him free.

Bella wasn't naive, in spite of what she'd been called in the past, so she knew a man didn't keep going back to the same woman if there was nothing there. And she also knew a woman didn't smile like Leah had if everything was truly over.

Still, if she'd known he was going to end up in a crash...

Well, if wishes were money she'd be a very rich woman.

The door to the waiting room opened and a doctor entered. "Mrs. Black?"

"Yes, that's me."

"Perhaps we should talk about how your husband is doing in my office."

She nodded and followed him out of the waiting room.


	139. Chapter 138 - But They're Ugly (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Apologies for the short chapter, but these kinds of moments are rare in this story so enjoy.

**Chapter 138 – But They're Ugly (Alice)**

"They snap into place, Jasper," she said as she shoved one of the outlet covers into an unused outlet.

"I can read and follow directions without your critique."

"Then why don't I hear any snapping?" She knew why, of course. It was the same reason she still hadn't ripped open the packages that contained the appliance latches and cabinet latches.

"Because this is an insane waste."

"We've already bought the stuff. It's a little late to bellyache over it now," she pointed out.

He grunted. "These things look ugly as hell though."

Her lips twitched as she resisted laughing out loud. "It's my job to care about that kind of stuff. Not yours."

"Maybe..."

"You know we've got to get this stuff done, Jas. They're going to come and see this house again and if we haven't met they're demands it isn't going to be pretty."

She glanced over her shoulder in time to see him scrunch up his face. "But –" He held up the package with the 'clear' rubber table bumpers to put on the corners. They weren't really clear though, more of a transparent blue with little holes dotting the piece of one-inch thick rubber. "– They're ugly."

She couldn't help it any longer, she started laughing – it was just too much of a her type of thing to say.

He stuck his tongue out at her.

She slid down to the floor, still laughing.

"Hmph."

"Don't you have an appointment to get to?" she asked when she was finally able to herself under control. Alice was certain he did.

"Possibly."

"Then why aren't you getting ready to go there?"

"You were the one that asked me to help with this!"

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, to  _help_ , not to stand there and grouse like an old woman."

"I deny that."

She bit down on her tongue to stop from laughing again. " _Then go._ I'll finish this."

"Okay."

He darted out of the room faster than she could stand back up to get back to her current job. She snorted.


	140. Chapter 139 - Questioning (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 139 – Questioning (Seth)**

_**October 20th, 2011** _

The sound of hammering on the front door woke both him and Garrett up early in the morning.

"What the fuck?" Garrett grumbled as he rolled out of bed.

"It might be my sister. Though how she could have found out I was staying with you is beyond me."

"If it is, I'll throw her sss on the street," Garrett said darkly as he narrowed his eyes.

Seth had drove into Forks yesterday afternoon to check on his brother after Bella had called him to tell him about the wreck. It had been just his luck that Rachel had been there at the same time. After he'd made it back to Garrett's apartment, he'd spent most of the night in Garrett's arms crying.

Garrett quickly pulled on a pair of pants and headed out of his room. Seth slowly sat up, deciding what to do.

Suddenly he heard Garrett ask, "Officers, what can I do for you this morning?"

Seth shot out of the bedroom and into the main area of Garrett's apartment, not even caring that all he had on were boxers.

"Garrett Whitlock, you are wanted for questioning in the murder of Randal Davis." The words out of the officer's mouth caused Seth to let out a shocked breath as he suddenly stepped back.

"Hey, you, don't move." The other cop said, looking directly at him, his hand dropping to the gun on his belt.

But he disappeared from view as Garrett suddenly stepped in the way of the cop's line of sight. "I'll go with you completely willingly. I have absolutely nothing to hide. But leave my husband out of it. He doesn't even know about Randal."

Seth was pretty sure it was the first cop that spoke up next. "Domestic partners do not have the same rights as spouses."

"And as I stated, he doesn't know anything," Garrett said, his voice muffled.

Seth had a suspicion Garrett was speaking through his teeth.

"Then he won't have any issues coming with us to answer questions as well. If both of you have nothing to hide than there shouldn't be any issues."

Seth noticed Garrett's fist clench. He quickly stepped forward. "Can we get all the way dressed first?"

One of the two cops at the door grunted in a noise similar to an ascent. "Get some clothes for yourself and a shirt for your partner. Don't try to do anything else."

Seth backed to the bedroom door.


	141. Chapter 140 - He Chose You (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Quick note here, unless something inspires me to add an extra chapter from someone else, the next five chapters are going to be all Bella and Seth, which is way different than how the rest of this story has been, but there's a reason for it. That's all I'm going to say for now.

**Chapter 140 – He Chose You (Bella)**

Jacob wasn't in a coma, but had been asleep far more than he'd been awake over the course of the last two days. She'd called and spoke with all of his siblings, notified most of his friends, and sat with him without moving for the vast majority of the two days.

Per the doctor, it could have been far worse, but the knowledge that he'd have months of rehab ahead of him made her question it. He'd suffered severe nerve damage, the kind of damage that left some paralyzed, but it wasn't the same as a broken spinal cord. He'd have the ability to walk, it would just be a matter if he'd have the will to put himself through the pain to do it.

She knew Jake and knew he would, but as the doctor had told her, he'd have to retrain his brain to get used to it. It was a life-altering injury. But it could have been worse.

Still, she knew that once he was awake enough to start dealing with it, it wouldn't be her that he'd want or need by his side. And not just because of what had happened before the wreck.

She checked Jake and the machines before sighing as she dialed Leah's number into her cell, waiting on her to pick up.

"What do you want?" the voice on the other end demanded as soon as she picked up.

"You need to come to the hospital, Leah. You belong by Jacob's side." She left the 'not me' unsaid.

"He just remarried you. He  _chose you,_ " Leah retorted angrily.

Bella snorted. "It was a vow renewal, not a second marriage. But that's beside the point and doesn't even matter. Leah, I'm not the one he's ever gone to when he's in pain. I'm not the one that he wants to have pick up the pieces. I'm not his rock or his shoulder to cry on. That's always been you, Leah, and we both know it. He may choose me when the times are good, but he chooses you in the rough weather. And he's going to have some really rough weather ahead."

"But he called it off with me." Her voice was nowhere near as snooty.

"Tell me, Leah, if I lose these twins, do you think he'll be by my side, or is his first call going to be you?"

There was no reply for a moment, before finally she said, "It'll take me thirty minutes to get there."

Bella hung up the phone as she murmured, "That's what I thought." She shook her head and got up from the chair beside where Jake was and walked over to the window, placing her hand against the glass.

"That's because I didn't need to be strong with her," Jake said behind her.

She stiffened, her hand pressing harder against the glass before forcing herself to relax. "I didn't realize you were awake." She wanted to add that she'd never asked him to, but she kept quiet.

"I know." There was a minute of complete silence before there was a quiet, "Thank you."

She closed her eyes, a tear running sown her cheek.


	142. Chapter 141 - Interrogation (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 141 – Interrogation (Seth)**

He just wanted to put his head on the metal desk and close his eyes for awhile. It felt like the detectives were going around in circles with him and had no plan to stop any time.

"Have you ever been to Club 56?"

"No. I've never even heard of it," he said again, though he wasn't sure that was a hundred percent true. He might have seen an ad for the club in Leah's bug at some point.

"Are you familiar with the practice of blood-letting?"

"No. Should I be?"

"Has Garrett ever coerced you into allowing him to partake of your blood or vice versa?"

The question was no less gross the third time they asked. "No. And still ew."

"Are you aware of Garrett having dated Randal Davis?"

" _No_." He was beyond frustrated by the repeated lines of questions.

"These are just standard questions," the other detective said gently. He couldn't remember either of their names

Seth might have bought that line the first time he was asked. He certainly didn't now though.

"Has Garrett ever mentioned visiting the Union Pacific Rail Yard?"

"No. No to all your questions. I have no knowledge of  _any_  of this."

"We recommend you wait on the questions to answer, Mr. Black. Has Garrett ever spoken of or insinuated that he's killed someone?"

Seth gritted his teeth. "I want a lawyer." He'd already asked twice before, but had changed his mind both times.

"Are you sure you want to do that? This will all go much quicker if you cooperate," the one detective said.

"Usually only the guilty lawyer up," the other pointed out.

And that was why he'd changed his mind twice already. "If you have something on me than charge me. Otherwise, get me an attorney. I'm done answering your bullshit."

The two cops looked at each other for a minute. "You're free to go, Mr. Black. We'll have a cop come in and escort you out of the precinct in a minute."

Seth bit his tongue to keep from thanking them as they got up and left the room. He immediately put his head on the desk.


	143. Chapter 142 - Guilt (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 142 – Guilt (Bella)**

She should have stayed at the hospital with Jacob because their house was nothing more than a bitter reminder for her of the fuck up that could possibly end with Jacob in a wheelchair for the rest of his life, and was definitely all on her. But she hadn't been able to stomach being there any longer. The guilt of her responsibility in all of it had been eating away at her while she'd watched Jacob sleep.

Unfortunately, the guilt wasn't any better now that she was at home

Her emotions – specifically her jealousy, an emotion she normally had a tight lid on – had been raging out of control when she'd told him it was over. What she really should have done was taken a shower and calmed down first, but she hadn't even the thought of it. As the saying went, hindsight was twenty/twenty.

Her eyes flashed to the calendar on the wall as she paced the dining room. On it were the marks signaling the upcoming play date with Claire she made a business of having every two weeks, the bonfire on the beach in La Push that took place every year for Halloween, and a reminder to go clean Edward's house out.

She stormed over to the wall and ripped the calendar off of it, throwing it in the direction of the trashcan before storming to the bedroom.

The bedroom had thousands of memories and she wasn't a hundred sure the good outweighed the bad - but didn't know where else to go.

She headed to her closet and pulled a small wooden box off the top shelf. The ten-inch long cherry-wood box had a satin finish – which as a child she'd always admired – and it along with the contents on the inside were the only thing she still had of her dad.

She clutched the case close to her chest. Except for once, shortly after losing her son, she'd never considered it, but now she honestly wondered. She missed her dad, missed her mom, and missed her son. It was seriously starting to add up.

She pulled her cellphone out and typed out a text to Alice, asking her to go to her brother's house and make sure all paraphernalia was trashed before picking him up on the second of November. Then she shut off her phone

She held out the box with one hand and started to open the lid of it when she felt a flutter in her stomach. Her hands immediately dropped to her belly, completely ignoring the sound of the box and its contents clattering to the floor.

She closed her eyes, saying a silent prayer of thanks for the reminder of what was important.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm pretty sure most can figure out what is in the box, but if you don't get it, it'll be revealed in a few chapters. I want to say this about pregnancy, having been pregnant four times myself, no two women experience pregnancy the same way and no two pregnancies are the same. Hormones can cause horrible reactions and it is twice the 'fun' when it's twins (I am speaking from experience).


	144. Chapter 143 - Better This Way (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 143 – Better This Way (Seth)**

"Can I have a little bit of time alone with my brother?" he asked Leah upon finding her in his brother's hospital room.

"But –" she broke off and looked at Jacob for a few seconds. "You know what, never mind." She shook her head. "I need to stretch my legs anyways," Leah muttered before getting up and exiting the room.

Seth quickly sat down in the chair she'd vacated.

He looked at his brother sleeping soundly on the bed. He could only guess the fact that Jacob was sleeping had a lot to do with Leah's reaction, but Set was glad he was asleep. He didn't want him to be awake and hear what he was about to say. He didn't want anybody to hear.

"Something happened today and I don't know what to make of it. I thought I knew Garrett, after all he grew up in Forks, but now I'm not so sure." Seth shook his head. "The cops showed up at his apartment this morning. He swore to them that he didn't have anything to hide... but if that was true than why wasn't I aware of him dating Randal? Why'd he deny any knowledge of who the dead guy was when we saw the news about it a few weeks back? I just don't get it."

He scuffed his feet against the floor.

"I'm not sure what to do or what to think. But I think –" he swallowed "– I think dad was always right. It'll be better this way for everyone, you especially. But... I'm sorry."

He pulled an envelope out of his pocket and shoved it under the receiver of the hospital phone before he got up – the chair squeaking against the tile as it moved back slightly in his hasty motion – and headed to the door.

"Hey," a groggy voice said behind him just as he reached the doorway. "What are you doing here?"

Seth looked back at his older brother, smiling slightly. "I was just stopping by to check on you for a minute."

"Didn't think you'd come back so soon after yesterday."

Seth shrugged. "She has a right to her opinion."

Jacob scowled slightly at his words. "Aren't you going to stay awhile?"

"Nah, I got to get back to Gar."

Jacob's brow furrowed slightly. "Okay, I'll talk to you later."

"Yeah, later," Seth half mumbled the words before he headed out of the room.


	145. Chapter 144 - Guess You're Right (Seth)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So, for the first time in this entire story, I am doing back to back chapters of the same character. It was necessary. I've been using a roller coaster for my analogy for this entire story and often times roller coasters are viewed as relatively safe, but they aren't always.

**Chapter 144 – Guess You're Right (Seth)**

_**October 21st, 2011** _

He was glad that Leah was apparently staying with Jacob at the hospital, it gave him easy access to the apartment he'd been sharing with her before he'd broke it off. He actually hadn't been back since then.

He'd spent the night there, waiting on a call from Garrett, but one hadn't come. Of course, if he'd been held than it was little reason why Seth hadn't heard from him. Not that it mattered. The fact that he'd never told him anything about it before spelled out guilt to him. He just wasn't sure what else to think.

Seth looked at his cell phone on the kitchen counter again, debating. He was afraid and wanted reassurance – needed it even. Finally, he opened his contact list and went down to the Rs, pressing call on the one he wanted.

The phone rang four times and he was almost certain she wasn't going to answer, but finally the line picked up and she asked coolly, "What do you want?"

"Rache, something happened... I screwed up." He desperately needed his sister to tell him everything would be okay – needed to hear it from the person who had raised him for a decent percentage of his life.

"What do you mean, you screwed up?" The was less anger in his sister's voice.

"Garrett and I were taken in for questioning with regards to the guy that was found dead a couple months ago. He made the news and everything. I don't know if Garrett has even been released yet."

"Oh, I though you might be going to say guys were just phase or something. Still despicable, but I could at least understand experimentation," she stated, her voice turning cold again. "If you're wanting me to help him out, there's nothing I could do even if I wanted to. Frankly, it sounds to me like he's getting what he deserves for being a dredge of society. You too for that matter." The line clicked, signaling she hung up on him.

He put the phone back down on the counter. "Yeah, I guess you're right," he mumbled to the dead phone, closing his eyes briefly.

He shook his head, and opened a drawer beside where he was so he could pull out a pad and paper, scribbling four words out on the note before walking away from the kitchen and headed to the bathroom, opening up the medicine cabinet and pulling out a bottle of prescription sleeping pills which Leah had gotten but never used.

He unscrewed the lid, shaking out close to a dozen of the pills in the bottle and sitting them on the edge of the sink before turning to run a bath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I'm choosing to leave it there, but this was Seth's last chapter. I'm going to make a post on my blog about why I decided to do this sometime today, though I'm not sure exactly when.


	146. Chapter 145 - Equivocal (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 145 – Equivocal (Alice)**

She crossed her arms over her chest as she stared Dr Morgan down. She almost snorted at her own thought, he wasn't a doctor, he was a damn psychologist – the type that made her want to pull her hair out by its roots.

"I don't think we've really been getting to the core of your issues here, let's see if we can break through that wall today."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "I've been answering every single bloody question that you've asked, openly and honestly. What more do you want for me."

"You may be answering the questions, you may even be being honest, but that doesn't mean you're being open"

She rolled her eyes. "Okay, way to be equivocal."

"There is a difference, Alice."

"If you say so, can we get on with your questions. My hour is burning up while you're failing to do your job the way you're supposed to."

"Fine, let's talk about what led up to you being placed with Webers."

That was an easy topic for her. "As I've told you, my friend, Bella, first started school in Forks when she was nine. She's the first person I was truly able to be myself with. She found out about what my father was doing to both Edward and me and she was determined to get us both out, but nothing we tried worked. We told a school councilor and we were criticized for having overactive imaginations, similar things happened when we went to an actual doctor and the cops. Well, Bella's dad believed us but the nature of politics prevented him from getting involved.

"It took time but Bella finally came up with a plan to get us out that worked. At least it did for me. That's how I got placed with the Webers."

"And how did you feel being placed with them?"

"It felt nice being in a safe home for a change."

"That wasn't what I asked."

"Yes, it was."

"Felt nice is not a feeling, Alice."

"According to you, perhaps, but it is to me."

"Very well, explain nice then."

Alice blew out a breath. "It was pleasant to be put in a home where I wasn't being abused, okay?"

"Was it?"

Not really, she'd never admitted it to anyone and she wasn't about to tell him, but when she'd first moved in with the Webers what she'd really wanted was to be back home. It was super fucked up and she knew it. After all, who would  _want_  to go back to all the abuse she had suffered? Besides, she'd grown past that phase of her life.

"Yes. I mean I missed my twin, but at least I was safe, in a warm bed, and able to sleep through the nights without fear of someone entering my bedroom. Like I said, it was nice."

"You still aren't answering my questions." He looked at the clock on the wall.

"Just because I'm well in control of myself and can be perfectly rational doesn't mean I'm not answering your questions, it just means I'm not answering them the way you want me to."

"That isn't what's happening." He looked back at her. "Our time for the day is up. We'll pick this up in a week."

She got up from her seat and headed to the door.


	147. Chapter 146 - Togas (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 146 – Togas (Rosalie)**

She wasn't a huge fan of the hands free headsets, finding them to be annoyingly impersonal, but it allowed her to do other work while she was talking to Maggie.

"I swear if she trips one more time –"

"Then fire her," Rosalie said, cutting her off before she went into a full-fledged rant. "You're the one who found her, remember? If Noella isn't going to do it than we need to cut our losses and move on before the girl gets hurt."

"You were the one that liked her during the interview."

"She has spunk. And as Charlotte, the triplets, and Heidi have all proven, that sells. So I'm going to use it when I'm able to."

"Oh how I miss the days of when fashion was actually about fashion," Maggie groused.

"Fashion has never been strictly about fashion. I'd bet good money that if we could go back to the days of ancient Greece there were arguments about how to wear togas and who looked best wearing them, even then."

"That would have to be gold you were betting," Maggie replied smartly.

She rolled her eyes, not that her assistant could see it. "Anyways, if Noella isn't going to make it than fire her. It really is that simple and you know it."

She could practically see Maggie scowling when she replied, "I'm not ready to give up yet."

"Then stop complaining about it. At least stop complaining  _to me_  about it. There are deadlines which I need to make if we want to have clothes in a few more seasons."

"Fine, if I decide to kill her though you're going to have to bail me out."

"Be sure to fire her first. We don't need the bad press if she's still an employee," Rosalie snarked in response.

Maggie snorted before the line disconnected.

The truth was, though Rosalie was supposed to be working on her sketches, she was too concerned about her little sister to focus on it. Aside from one call after the night that Jacob got in a wreck, she hadn't heard from her. And her last four calls to her little sister had gone straight to voicemail.

She frowned and tapped the button on her headset. "Bella," she stated clearly.

A moment later she heard Bella's voicemail, which had never been set up with anything other than the automated machine that advised the number was currently unavailable and to leave a message after the beep.

She tapped the button again without bothering, frowning as she tried to decide what to do.


	148. Chapter 147 - Read for Yourself (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 147 – Read for Yourself (Jasper)**

He looked at the letter from the adoption agency again, which had arrived while Alice was at her weekly session with Anton. He wasn't sure if she'd be annoyed by the letter as he was or more accepting of it.

Honestly, he didn't know what to make of his Little Miss recently. He was used to her being scatterbrained, used to her bad habits, and used to dealing with her. But since he'd come up with the idea to try and adopt and told her his conditions she practically seemed to be a different person.

He probably should have seen it coming as she'd told him dozens of times that the reason she cut herself was to be a reminder of her control over her own life. And apparently now she was choosing to control herself in another way. He preferred her being harebrained though.

"Can't have your cake and eat it too," he muttered under his breath just as he heard the doorknob rattle.

He quickly shoved the letter under a magazine on the coffee table.

"How was you appointment with Anton Morgan?" he asked once she got inside.

She gave him a look of sinister annoyance. "Do you want the answer you want to hear or my real opinion of the asshole who sits behind his desk while he believes wingtips are still in style?"

He bit back a grin at her words. "As you've already started, please continue with the honesty."

"He's a pompous jerk who thinks he knows something about me that isn't there. For ten cents and a bottle of rum I'd tell him exactly where he can shove his stupid questions."

"I'm pretty sure we've got rum in the cabinet and I can scrounge up a dime somewhere," he pointed out.

" _Funny_ , you're the one that wants me going to him, remember?"

"Only if it's doing you any good."

"I haven't been cutting myself, so apparently it's doing some good," she said on a sigh.

He felt like snapping at her that she'd cut off her emotions instead, but kept it to himself because she was being at least a little open and he didn't want that to stop. He changed the subject instead. "We got another letter in the mail from the adoption agency."

She rolled her eyes upward. "At least their prompt with their replies. It's only been two days since their last visit. What does it say?"

He pulled the letter out from under the magazine and handed it to her. "Read for yourself."

She unfolded the letter and looked at what it said as he slowly drew out counting Mississippis in his head.

_One Miss-iss-ip-pi, two Miss-iss-ip-pi, three Miss-iss-ip –_

"They want to do  _what!_ " she shrieked as she reached the spot he'd been waiting on her to get to.

"Monitor us as we go about a normal day, apparently."

"They do realize that out  _norm_  before we get the kids will be nothing compared to what it will be after, right?"

"As you've liked to point out, it's their right to make this as difficult as they want."

"Humph." She crossed her arms over her chest, crushing the paper as she did so.

"Did you read to the end?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, final review before we get Maysun Khalif, assuming the review goes well. It didn't mention anything about Athenodora, though. And why do they have to pick around our lives for an entire day and 'monitor us?'"

"Because they can."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "Don't use my explanation against me."

He chuckled.


	149. Chapter 148 - Flawed Compass (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 148 – Flawed Compass (Edward)**

Edward wasn't sure why he didn't just leave the stupid rehab center already, except Bella had promised she'd pick him up when he was done. In spite of the fact that a lot of his life he'd spent being seriously fucked up – and in spite of the fact that he wasn't sure it would ever change – he knew what Bella's word meant to her.

He also knew, even though he couldn't fully remember all the stuff he'd done in Bella's presence, that he'd seriously emotionally hurt her in the past. Most people would have washed their hands of him years before, but she'd stuck with him through it all.

He'd honestly never completely understood how her mind worked, but he did get that she had a strong moral compass, even if the way she oriented the compass was slightly flawed. Of course, there were very few who didn't have flawed judgment at some point.

He wasn't about to cause her to break another promise by taking off before his release date from rehab. He just had to make it for two more weeks.

"How's the writing going?" Esme asked, causing him to jump in the process.

He grunted. "Why don't you tell me what I should be writing about?"

"We've been over this before, Edward, the journal is for your thoughts, feelings, emotions, etc. Essentially it's for whatever you want to write about. There's no right or wrong with what you put in there. Unless there's a reason you don't want to write, and then I'd recommend you talk to my husband about it."

He shrunk in on himself muttering, "I'll get to writing."

"Edward, I'm not trying to force you to do something you're against. That isn't what Carlisle and I are here for. We just want you to actually take this opportunity to try and let us  _help_ you."

"I get it, but I don't need help."

"If you didn't need help, you'd never have come. And if some part of you didn't want it, you wouldn't have stayed this long. You still have thirteen days left of your ninety day program. Perhaps you should consider opening up in some way. It doesn't have to be to Carlisle or me. It can be to that journal in front of you or to a piece of art."

"The last piece of art I worked on you showed to Carlisle." He crossed his arms over his chest.

"Because you ran away from it and I was concerned as a result. If you don't want what you make to be shown, you simply have to tell me."

Edward stared at the wall mutinously without replying.


	150. Chapter 149 - The Envelope (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 149 – The Envelope (Jacob)**

Four days being laid up in a hospital wasn't his idea of a good time. Of course, based on what the doctors had told him, being laid up could very well become a permanent thing.

Not that he'd needed to hear a doctor tell him that his back was fucked up, he could feel it anytime he tried to move. It took an indescribable amount of pain running up and down his back every time he so much as twitched a finger for him to fully understand just how every little thing was ultimately connected to his back.

The only good thing for him was he was able to deal with it without the constant eyes of Bella on him. He knew the way he felt wasn't fair to her, but the truth of the matter was while he wanted to be with her through her good and bad times he never wanted her to see him weak or in pain. There were many reasons for his double standard, including the fact that it was how his dad had taught him to be and another was because he was the type to lash out when he was upset and he'd never wanted to hurt her.

And he'd known all along his double standard wasn't fair to her but he hadn't been able to change it, because he simply wasn't that type of guy. He refused to examine why he was more willing to be open for Leah than he'd ever been with Bella. If he did he was relatively certain he wouldn't like what he discovered.

His cell phone rang, pulling him away from his own thoughts. He reached over to the side table, stretching his arm as he did while barely stopping himself from grimacing. When he pulled the phone back he looked at the phone number but didn't recognize it.

Frowning, he pressed the talk button. "Hello?"

"Is Seth there?" a frantic voice asked.

Jacob frowned, working to place the voice. "Garrett?"

"Yes. Have you seen Seth? I haven't been able to get hold of him and he wasn't in class or at work today," he said in a rush.

"He stopped by yesterday evening, said he had to get back to you."

"He never made it back here. Maybe he got in a –"

"Don't say it," Jacob cut him off. "Seth's never been a bad or reckless driver. He's not like me. He's fine."

"I'm heading that way." The line disconnected.

Jacob put his phone down before looking around the room, wondering where Leah had gotten to, vaguely remembering she'd gone to get some food about an hour ago, but she still wasn't back.

As he was looking around, his eyes happened to see a piece of paper sticking out underneath the hospital phone. His brow furrowed in confusion, not remembering seeing it before. It was farther away than his cellphone had been and he let out a groan of genuine agony as he reached out to grab it, knocking the phone off the table in the process.

What he pulled back to him was an envelope and he could tell by the feel of it that there was a paper inside it. He opened it up and pulled out the letter, quickly unfolding it.

_Brother,_

_Something happened today with Garrett and secrets he was keeping from me, not that it matters. It isn't about him. I want you to know that, to not blame him. He's a good man and it's not his fault that I can't... Well, I just can't._

_This, what I am. It's not for me. I wake up most days feeling guilty, feeling sick, and feeling dirty. And there's no way for me to bury it anymore. I wish I was brave like you, wish I could laugh in the face of shame, but that isn't me._

_Please forgive me for not being the person you thought me to be._

_Love you always,  
_ _Seth_

Jacob swallowed as he read it again, hoping the words would change.


	151. Chapter 150 - Stumbled Backwards (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 150 – Stumbled Backwards (Leah)**

She shut the door of her car door as she got out, noticing Seth's car parked in the drive of their apartment. She'd headed home on Jacob's request when he called her and told her to go check on Seth because he thought he must have gone there.

She'd disagreed, after all, Seth hadn't been back to the apartment since they'd separated, but she'd agreed to go and check anyways in order to placate Jacob.

Needless to say, she was more than a little surprised to see his car there.

Leah slowly headed to the apartment and went inside, immediately spotting Seth's cell phone on the counter.

"Seth? Are you here?" She asked loudly as she headed towards the bedrooms.

She shivered involuntarily when she didn't get a reply but continued forward, checking the bedroom where she'd put all of his stuff first, finding all of his clothes and other possessions in the same place as they'd been when she'd put them in there. She could see into the small bathroom which the second bedroom had without going any farther into the room, and could tell he wasn't in there.

Frowning, she turned and headed into her bedroom, once again finding nothing out of place, except the door to the master bathroom which was shut. Leah almost never closed that door.

"Seth, if you're in there you better talk to me or come out," she demanded as she walked up to the bathroom door and crossed her arms over her chest in wait.

Leah started counting in her head as she waited on a response, but after a minute with no reply she took the last step to the door, trying to ignore the chill settling into her bones.

"I'm coming in, you better be decent." Her words were more of a mumble this time in spite of her best effort to ignore the feeling in her gut.

She twisted the door knob and opened it, her eyes immediately landing on the bath tub filled with water and –

Leah put a hand over her mouth as she stumbled backwards and away from the bathroom before her legs gave out completely.


	152. Chapter 151 - Conflict (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 151 – Conflict (Emmett)**

"A call just came in from our fellow officers over in La Push, boss," Steve said as he entered his office.

Emmett looked up from the paperwork he was filing. "What do they want?"

"There's been a suicide out there. They're hoping you can come down. You know how this all goes down better than they do. After all, they don't get near as many suicides there that we do here in Forks."

"Sure, did they say who it was?" He started to get up.

"Yeah, Seth Black. Funny thing, I'm pretty their last suicide was his father about eight years ago."

"Fuck." Emmett sat down hard in his chair. He swallowed. "I... I can't go. Send Mark."

"They asked for you specifically, boss."

"Seth is my brother's boyfriend. If I go and it turns out later that it isn't a suicide, any evidence found will be completely inadmissible over the conflict of interest it would cause if I was involved. So send Mark, he's been to more suicide calls than I have anyways. Besides... I'm going to need to tell my brother."

"Okay, I'll let Mark know," Steve said, before leaving the office.

Emmett banged his head against his desk, wanting to be in any situation other than one he was now in. He kept his head against the desk for several minutes, half hoping he'd wake up and the conversation he'd just had with Steve would be nothing more than a nightmare, but finally he reached over and grabbed his phone off the desk, typing in the speed dial for his big brother.

He brought the phone to his ear, listening as the phone rang twice before the phone picked up.

"Emmett, what can I do for you?"

"Where are you at currently?"

"I'm actually driving to Forks at the moment, why?"

He wanted to know why Garrett was coming to Forks but decided against asking. It was possible he was coming to visit their mom, after all. Because unlike Emmett, Garrett actually still had a relationship with Victoria.

"Stop by the police station first thing when you get here. There's something I need to talk to you about."

"Why? What's going on?"

"Just stop by, okay?" Emmett asked, avoiding answering his older brother's question.

"Okay, okay. I'll be there soon." The line disconnected.


	153. Chapter 152 - Too Late (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 152 – Too Late (Jacob)**

Jacob had been waiting for what felt like hours to get a reply from Leah so could verify his little brother was alright. If he wasn't laid up in the hospital bed, he'd chase his brother down himself. He needed to know the letter wasn't what it looked like, needed to believe that his brother was fine, and he was desperate for an answer.

Unfortunately, in spite of his best efforts to remain conscious, his exhaustion from the car wreck was still all encompassing and ultimately got the best of him as his eyes shut.

It felt like he'd only closed his eyes for a mere moment when his phone suddenly rang. He reached for it as he blearily opened eyes. A look at the clock on the wall told him it was more than an hour since the last time he'd glanced at it and not the mere half a second it felt like to him.

"Hello?" he asked as he managed to finally answer the phone, his voice still half garbled from sleep.

"Jake?" Leah's voice was tentative, concerned.

He was immediately on edge. "Did you find Seth?"

"Look, I'd rather be there and tell you in person but I don't think I'm going to get back any time soon, and the last thing I want is for you to find out from them rather than someone who actually cares," she said in a rush, seeming to almost skip over his question.

"Tell me what? And them who?" he demanded.

"You have to understand that by the time I got here it was too late to do anything, he was already –"

"Too late to do what?" he cut her off before proceeding to enunciate each word with slow precision, "Did. You. Find. Seth?"

"Jake..." she trailed off for a moment. "I'm sorry, okay? He..."

"He is not dead. Tell me he's not dead!" Except he knew already. He'd read the letter – he refused to call it what it was – four times before he'd called Leah. He knew what it had meant all along, but he'd been hoping he could stop his little brother.

"I'm sorry," Leah said again before the line clicked, signaling she hung up.

Jacob bit his lip and focused on not breaking down in tears. "Real men don't cry," he muttered under his breath, repeating words he'd been raised by from his earliest memories.


	154. Chapter 153 - Notification (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 153 – Notification (Emmett)**

"Garrett, you should probably take a seat," he said after his brother entered his office.

Emmett had given his fair share of death notices since becoming chief of police and it never got easier, but this time especially he felt as if he was sweating bullets. He wanted to be anywhere but there – was tempted to have Steve do it instead, even – but knew he owed his older brother better than that.

Garrett crossed his arms over his chest and didn't move from where he was standing in the doorway. "I came here to try and find Seth and don't have time to make idle chit chat. What do you need?" His voice was cold and collected in a way which told Emmett he was barely holding himself back.

Emmett flinched slightly. "It's actually about Seth."

"What do you know about Seth?" Garrett demanded, his anger and desperation no longer masked.

"Please sit, Gar," Emmett said, nodding his head to the chair as he stalled.

Garrett frowned but slowly came over and sat down in the chair. "Okay, I'm sitting."

Emmett sighed, tempted to reach up and wipe his brow to see how bad he really was sweating but didn't dare – after all, he couldn't be actually sweating lead. "We got a call from La Push about fifteen minute before I called you. It was about Seth." He glanced away for a moment.

"What about Seth?" Garrett leaned forward.

As a cop, Emmett had gone through how to do death notifications and knew the correct way to do them, but the truth was – no matter what the training said about being sympathetic, being sure to always do it in person, always have a fellow officer with you, always be prepared to spend time with the person and so on – it was actually a very cold and brutal way to reveal that a person had passed.

Of course, he honestly wasn't sure there was another way to do it. He certainly didn't know a better way to. "I'm sorry, Garrett, but it appears he's died. The preliminary is that he committed suicide. They'll look into it and verify, but –"

"Even if you'd said it was an accident or murder, I'd suspect it was actually suicide," Garrett interrupted, his voice hoarse as he closed his eyes.

Emmett started at his words. "What do you mean?"

"He's been so repressed his whole life with absolutely no acceptance from the people who are most important to him, and after he ran into his sister two days ago... I've known he was severely depressed from our first date which was why I didn't tell him how I'd known Randal but I should have. Maybe then he'd have been prepared for..." He shook his head. "Not that it matter now. I got to –" he started to get up "– I got to..."

Emmett knew what shock was when he saw it and he stood quickly, rushing around his desk to wrap his arms around his big brother. "What you need to do is let me drive you to my place." Rosalie's place, actually, but he wasn't going to tell his brother that. He knew Garrett didn't need to be alone at the moment but also knew his brother would argue if given the chance.

Garrett started to try and pull away from him but collapsed against him instead as he let out a sob of genuine agony.


	155. Chapter 154 - Business Woman (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 154 – Business Woman (Rosalie)**

"I don't do grief, Emmett." She crossed her arms over her chest after he followed her into her office.

He frowned slightly. "What do you mean?"

"I mean I'm a business woman and there's no place for it in my world."

He looked and sounded confused as he spoke, "But you've been through it enough between your dad, your nephew..."

"Did you see me at either funeral Emmett? Now don't get me wrong, I was there at my dad's funeral, but did you see me?"She knew he couldn't have. She'd been there for exactly three minutes, just long enough to hand over the checks to pay for the service and everything else. On the other hand, she hadn't come to her nephew's funeral.

"Umm, maybe for your dad's. That day was painful and I wasn't really focused on much."

"You didn't. I was gone by the time even my sister arrived, and I know she was the first person there after me. All I showed up for on that day was to pay Mr. Webber, Bob, and the funeral director. Then I was gone. I didn't even come to my nephew's funeral."

"I.. don't get it."

She sighed. "I had to grow up young, Emmett. My mom vanished from my life when I was essentially too young to remember and dad couldn't cook, at least anything other eggs and toast that was a minute too burnt. I was making all my own food by the time I was five. And when Bella was brought home at nine... I had to be more than just a sister to her, I was more or less her keeper as well. Grief has never been something I've had time for."

Emmett tilted his head to the side. "But you have one of the largest hearts out there. I've seen how much you care for your employees, your sister, me. Grief is a natural part of life."

Part of her melted a little at his words. She ignored it. "You were in New York with me, right? Did you not see me working everyone like dogs?"

He narrowed his eyes slightly. "You say po-tay-to, I say po-tah-to."

She couldn't help rolling her eyes before looking back at her computer. "The second bedroom upstairs still has a bed. It probably needs a good dusting and new sheets laid out. I'm in the middle of designing a couple of outfits though so I can't do it. If you get the room cleaned, I suppose he can stay the night."

"Okay –" he turned toward the door but paused midway "– Rose, you do know it's possible to be a strong career oriented woman and let pain in too, right?"

He waited for a moment but she couldn't figure out a good response to his words before he shrugged slightly and left her office.


	156. Chapter 155 - Celebration of Life (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 155 – Celebration of Life (Leah)**

_**October 28th, 2011** _

Jacob was still in the hospital, likely wasn't getting out any time soon, but the funeral had to happen with or without him.

Leah hated to admit it, but Bella's silent aide of getting everything paid for and set up had been a godsend. Without her help, Leah wouldn't have had the first clue what to do.

Still, it was just her with Pastor Webber at the actual church as she prepped the sanctuary for the funeral. Bella had come up with several reasons as to why she couldn't be there for the actual service.

If Leah was being perfectly honest with herself, she got it. Leah had been through more than one funeral in her nineteen years of life and every one of them Bella had also had been at. Funerals were supposed to be a celebration of the life which the person led, as well as a beautiful and passionate memorial. The reality was though, they were simply draining and painful.

And truthfully, what was there to celebrate when it came to Seth?

Leah had never actually been in love with Seth but he'd been important to her, as a friend if nothing else. And the fact that he'd... died – she refused to think the words of what actually happened – at only eighteen left her feeling sick to her stomach. If he'd lived, he could have gone on to become an artist with Picasso infamy, but instead his story had been cut off before it had even had the chance to start.

She needed someone to blame for it and when she'd checked his phone before the cops arrived she'd found his last call had been to his sister, long enough that it hadn't been just a voicemail. She swore if his older sister showed up today she'd do something drastic. Of course, she still needed to go beat up her cousin too – the person who had to have told his sister in the first place.

Leah couldn't help but believe his sister finding out the truth had been the straw which had ultimately broke him.

She sighed and looked at the bouquet of calla lilies she'd sat in the vase on top of the piano, raising her lip in a silent snarl at the sight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: I just wanted to add this in. There's approximately fifty or so chapters left and I'm trying to make sure I continue to put out a chapter a day (or every other day at the most), but this story is really draining to continue to write. It's cathartic in some ways, but it's still extremely painful. On top of that, as a whole I'm running on empty when it comes to my inspiration. So while I'm going to try not to let it happen, if I do disappear for a few days, please forgive me.


	157. Chapter 156 - Judgmental (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 156 – Judgmental (Alice)**

Jasper had gone to Seth's funeral but Alice has stayed at home. She could have gone if she'd wanted to but honestly though she knew Seth, because he was Jacob's little brother, she didn't really  _know him_. He was just a kid from La Push to her.

Jasper didn't really know him any better than her but Garrett had been dating him.

Honestly, though she tried not to be the sort to judge, she found the fact that Garrett and Seth had been dating to be more than a little disturbing. After all, Garrett was close to twice Seth's age – not to mention a professor at the college where Seth had been studying.

She got why Jasper had to go and support his oldest half-brother though. In his position, she'd have felt the need to go too.

But, in truth, she didn't get it. Why did he even deserve a funeral? She'd known his dad, knew his siblings, and even met his mom a couple of times before the woman had passed. Not a one of them were abusive, violent, or anything else along those lines. So what gave him the right to kill himself?

She'd been through hell and she was still around, though she wouldn't deny she'd considered suicide – in the past, before she'd met Jasper.

Alice had hidden it well after she'd been taken from her father, after all, why would anyone look such a gift horse in the mouth. But part of her, no matter how fucked up it was, had actually missed her father's attention. Some part of her suspected it was why she'd started cutting herself originally. On the other hand, it ultimately wasn't why she kept up with it.

After awhile, the cutting had stopped being about the pain and had turned into an obsession with control and after it had started being about control she'd tried to control other aspects of her life as well. Everything from eating to cleanliness to even how often she breathed. Most of it she'd given up completely on her own because she found she couldn't handle the price which came with some of those lifestyle choices.

Self-harm on the other hand had remained a constant and no matter what, the ultimate form of self-harm was suicide. And before she'd met Jasper it had been something she'd considered doing someday. She never had though and after her handsome stranger had come into her life she hadn't wanted to.

Seth had been dating Garrett and had never been abused so she didn't get his choice, and though she knew the saying about everyone having their own cross to bear, she simply couldn't see what cross could possibly be so bad that he'd commit suicide.

And because she couldn't get past that feeling – some would probably say she was being unfairly judgmental – she'd figured staying away from the funeral was her best option.


	158. Chapter 157 - Stable Jacob

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 157 – Stable (Jacob)**

He needed to be out of the hospital already – needed to be at his brother's funeral – but the doctor wasn't even talking to him about rehab and every time he'd tried to bring it up over the last four days all he'd gotten from the doctor was he needed to wait until he was more stable.

He really wanted a straight answer for what  _precisely_  that meant.

The television in his hospital room was on to some stupid sitcom which he wasn't even paying attention to, and though he had the remote right at his fingertips he didn't really have any desire to change it to anything in particular. He'd turn it off but without any company it would make for a pretty dead room and he was already going stir crazy as it was.

He hadn't heard from Bella since yesterday morning when she'd called and advised that everything had been paid for and taken care of and wasn't sure where she was, though he knew, thanks to Leah, that she wasn't at the funeral.

It wouldn't shock him if she'd locked herself in her bathroom. If he was up and about he'd go and check on her because he was pretty sure the only way she could have paid for everything was if she'd gone to the bank and pulled money out of the saving's account that she'd set up for the money she'd gotten from her dad's life insurance policy.

He knew how banks affected her but there wasn't anything he could do about it. Just like he couldn't be at his brother's funeral.

"Do you need anything?" a nurse asked as she stuck her head in, he couldn't remember her name though he definitely should given how long he'd already been stuck in the hospital.

"Yes. When can I start rehab?" he practically growled the words.

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that. You'll have to talk to to your doctor about that."

"Then get me my doctor."


	159. Chapter 158 - Squirrels (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 158 – Squirrels (Emmett)**

Emmett could have gotten off of work to go to the funeral but he'd used work as an excuse to not go instead. Emmett didn't have a problem with grief the way Rosalie did but he honestly hated funerals with the poorly made eulogy, the memories which always seemed falsified, and the music which had nothing to do with the person who died...

He truly couldn't stand funerals.

In all reality, if he ever died he hoped they'd skip the funeral and simply put him in the ground. Besides, an honest funeral for his life would be mortifying. He could just about imagine what the people would say with regards to him. It would start – and end – with "he was a good lay."

Emmett shuddered and shook his head.

If he thought for even half a second that he was going to die in the near future he'd plan ahead and make sure his headstone was pre-made so no one could add some smart ass comment like 'The Joker forever' or something.

But Emmett was quite certain he'd live forever or at least until he was a hundred.

"You sure you don't want to take off and head to the funeral?" Steve asked as he stuck his head into Emmett's office.

"No thanks. I've got to finish all these papers. I still can't believe we got a call in for a noise complaint over a bunch of squirrels." He held up the report from Mark which he was working on.

Steve snorted. "Are you sure he isn't just yanking your chain?"

"Only if he's getting the dispatcher to go along with these reports by faking the call ins." Which wasn't possible. Every call was recorded. He didn't bother explaining that too Steve because he knew Steve already knew it.

"Why can't I ever get any cool calls," Steve muttered as he headed back to his desk in the main area of the police station.

Emmett rolled his eyes before frowning at the paper as he tried to ignore the sensation of fingers running up and down his spine – he was not going to let himself feel guilty for avoiding the funeral.


	160. Chapter 159 - Eulogy (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 159 – Eulogy (Rosalie)**

"Now Leah would like to say a brief eulogy," Pastor Weber said, stepping back.

There were over a hundred people at the funeral, a good half of which were from La Push. Rosalie recognized Sam, Emily, their kids, Jared and his wife, Joshua, Paul, Collin, Brady, and many of the others. She was a little shocked that she didn't see either of Seth's older sisters but talking with Garrett led her to a basic understanding that his sisters were against homosexuality – something which they'd apparently been raised to believe.

She couldn't remember that hatred of homosexuality though.

She'd grown up knowing Billy and his kids. In all honesty, though she hardly thought of Rebecca and Rachel anymore, when she'd been a young girl, they'd been two of her closest friends. She'd spent a lot of time with both of them – Jacob as well. Seth was a little different on the other hand. After all, she'd already been nine years old when he was born.

Of course, it was the other clump of people – people she didn't recognize – who truly shocked her. There had to be close to thirty young adults who she didn't recognize at all, though it hadn't taken her too long to figure out they had to be students at Peninsula College.

Leah took her place behind the podium. "I've known Seth since we were both toddlers, and as I tried to decide what I wanted to say here, I actually found it difficult. After all, he's been almost everything you can image to me at one point or another. From a school yard friend, to a little step-brother, to a bully, to a boyfriend.

"Seth wasn't perfect. Of course, I don't know anyone who is, but he had a passion for art and beauty in a way I've never seen anyone else have. And I know, one of the most popular lines for eulogies is that 'he had a passion for life,' but I'm not going to say that about him. The truth is Seth spent so much of his life trying to be what his family would have wanted him to be that he honestly had no chance at happiness – at loving life.

"More than one person shares in the guilt for the choice he made and I'm definitely one of them. The writing was on the wall and I think most people here know that. I know that isn't what's supposed to be said in a eulogy, but I refuse to pretend that his death wasn't exactly what it was, and the truth of the matter that his life wasn't cut short because of an accident or a disease. Instead, he made a choice and a boy, my friend, who could have someday been an amazing artist or an art historian or curator – someone who could have gone on to do great things – will never have that chance now.

"For –" she closed her eyes as she took in a shaky breath "– For everyone here, I know most people have been to at least a couple of funerals before and your probably wondering where the funny anecdotal memories and cute stories are. The truth is, I don't have any to give because he never had a chance to make those great memories for me to call on. But I'm going to miss him, I'm going to miss what he could have become, and I'm going to forever remember what led to this."

She shook her head and stepped away from the podium. Pastor Weber looked after Leah for a moment before he stepped back up to podium. "Does anyone have any memories they want to share?"

Rosalie looked around the room to see who would be the first to stand.


	161. Chapter 160 - Memories (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 160 – Memories (Jasper)**

He was relatively certain that his hand on Garrett's knee was the only thing that prevented his eldest half-brother from standing and speaking after Pastor Weber asked his poignant question.

The truth was that he wasn't deliberately trying to stop Garrett from talking... but he could feel the eyes that were being glared in their general direction – quite a few of which were from the people from La Push. The pins and needles sensation on the back of his neck had him fighting with himself to keep from reaching for a gun at his waist that wasn't even there.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, counting to twenty before blowing it out slowly.

"Anyone?" Pastor Weber asked after a moment of silence where no one had stood to talk.

"I held Seth within hours of the time he was born," a voice directly behind him said.

Jasper knew without even turning around and opening his eyes to check that it was Rosalie.

"Such a strange thing to remember but there was a nine year age gap between the two of us. My dad and his were fishing buddies and when he was born I remember thinking that he could be the younger sibling I'd never had. Sort of funny when you think about it, because Jacob is also younger than me, but I never saw Jacob that way. For the first couple of years of Seth's life, I was as much of a babysitter to him as his own sisters were.

"He was so... annoyingly enthusiastic as a young child – immediately demanding attention the instant he noticed anyone. It didn't matter who they were. It was something that constantly drove me nuts, but as is often the case, the memories are much more fond now that I'm older. I think that's a pretty normal thing to happen.

"One of my last real memories of him was just after I graduated high school. My dad took Bella and I fishing on a large fishing boat. Seth, Jake, Billy, and about four others were there as well. I don't know what possessed Seth to dive into the water when he did, but he did and he swam right beside a shark for long enough to give both Bella and I a heart attack but he was perfectly fine. It's funny how little memories like that stick with me."

He heard her sit down behind him and then someone else started talking without any preamble.

He recognized the voice, vaguely, as one of the elders from La Push but couldn't focus on it as he tried to open his eyes only to have to immediately clench them shut again against the lights in the church which suddenly felt brighter than he knew them to be.

He took another deep breath, trying to force himself to ignore the onset of the panic attack he was feeling.


	162. Chapter 161 - Fault (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: There's a small paragraph that is essentially a flashback. That entire paragraph is italicized. First and only time I'm going to do it in this story. Hopefully it answers some questions on it's own, but if it confuses you instead, I apologize.

**Chapter 161 – Fault (Leah)**

The funeral service was finally over, for which Leah was more than a little grateful – she hadn't been sure how much longer she'd be able to avoid decking someone. Even as it was, she had a list in her head of almost a dozen people in La Push who she wouldn't mind keying their cars.

"You should be at the front and shaking hands with the people as they leave," someone said beside her.

She looked to see Rosalie standing beside her. "When have I ever done what I should?" She turned away.

"That chip on your shoulder is going to get you in trouble one of these days, Leah."

Leah snorted. "You were the one who couldn't even bother to show to your dad's wedding, not me."

She heard the sigh behind her. "I sacrificed a lot to make my career a lasting success. Dad understood why I couldn't be there. So did your mom."

"That's why you ran us out of that home after he died, right!" Leah's voice was scathing. She knew it was the wrong place to have this out, but Rosalie had started it.

"I didn't force your mom to leave. I informed her I was moving home, but she could have stayed with your siblings and you as well. I wouldn't have stopped her. But Sue is a proud woman. You of all people should know that."

She bit back her mocking laugh. "That's why you pay guilt money every month."

There was a sharp snap behind her. "I know you're grieving the loss of somebody very close to you so I'm going to let that slide –" it sounded to Leah as if Rosalie was speaking through her teeth, though she didn't turn around to check "– though if you ever insinuate such a thing again I assure you, you won't like the end result. I certainly don't have to set aside five thousand dollars every month and split it between four trusts. It's not a necessity. I think I've spent actual time with Claire maybe all of five times since she was born, and she's the only one of you and your siblings that I have an actual relationship with."

Leah heard as Rosalie turned and started to walk away from where she was standing. Leah turned towards her. "Don't you regret it?"

Rosalie paused for a moment, glancing back at Leah. "That I didn't see dad even once in the last two years of his life?"

It hadn't been exactly what she was asking but it was close enough that she gave one sharp nod.

Rosalie looked away, not saying anything for so long Leah was certain she wasn't going to answer.

Finally, Rosalie said, "Every single day." Then she walked away before Leah could say anything else.

Leah closed her eyes and shook her head, opening them when she heard someone walking up to where she was.

The man in front of her was Garrett, but he wasn't the same man as the one on the sketch paper that was still in the drawer of the kitchen at her apartment. The man in that drawing had been mysterious and handsome while the one in front of her appeared to be practically bowed over with grief and aged beyond his years.

"Garrett, I have a letter Seth left at the apartment for you." She bent down and grabbed her bag off the floor, opening it up and pulling an envelope out. She held it out to him.

The truth was, she'd written the letter herself, meticulously mimicking Seth's handwriting style – even signing his name at the bottom. She supposed it was wrong but there was no way in hell she would have given him the four word scribbled note that Seth had left, which had only said 'Garrett, I'm so sorry.' He deserved more closure than that.

"Thank you," Garrett choked out, taking the envelope from her. He continued talking after a moment, "You were wrong earlier, by the way. His suicide was all on me and no one else."

She furrowed her brow in genuine confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I should have told him that I had dated Randal Davis, should have prepared him for the possibility of the cops bringing it up with me."

Her hand flew to her mouth as she stepped back, words she'd been suppressing for weeks flying to the forefront of her mind as she forced down the urge to cry out in anguish.

" _That body they found in the train yard was my handiwork. Honestly, the cops and medical examiner should be thanking me. His death was peaceful, simply going to sleep from the blood loss. It would have been a lot more costly and everything else when he eventually died from cirrhosis of the liver given the way he drank." Lonnie laughed loudly._

Garrett was wrong, none of it was on him. It was all on her. She bumped into a vase in her stumble backwards, a loud crash echoed as it hit the ground.

A hand around her arm kept her from fallowing to the ground, and caused her to look to the side.

"Are you alright?" Austin asked.

She blinked a couple of times before forcing herself to put her hand down. "I'm fine," she choked out. "Austin, this is Garrett, Seth's boyfriend." She waved a hand at Garrett still standing where he'd been and was looking at her strangely. "Garrett, this is Austin, a very good friend of Seth's. If you'll excuse me."

She pulled out of Austin's grasp and darted out the side door in the sanctuary, racing towards the bathroom.


	163. Chapter 162 - Release (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 162 – Release (Edward)**

_**November 2nd, 2011** _

He'd been standing outside for a good half an hour already. He knew he could have waited in the rehab facility but as he was free now he had no intention of staying inside  _that place_.

He looked down and folded the business card and pamphlet which Carlisle had given him in half. While he supposed he should be grateful fort the information about the support group he didn't really see the point. He wasn't going to go and he already knew it.

Edward looked up when he heard a car drive up, frowning when he realized it was his sister and not Bella. When she pulled to a stop he walked over and opened the passenger door, slowly getting inside.

"Where's Bella?" he demanded as soon as he was in.

He saw as Alice rolled her eyes without looking at him. "Nice to see you too, brother. And I don't know. In Forks is my guess."

"Why isn't she here?" Edward knew he was being rude with his twin but he honestly couldn't bring himself to care.

"Jeesh! I'm pretty sure she's at home. She told me to come get you today a few days back. What's the big deal? Aren't you happy to see me?"

"She promised she'd be here, Ali. She promised." He stared at her pointedly. "Bella doesn't break promises."

His twin flinched slightly before asking, "Are you sure you're remembering right? Maybe she just told –"

He cut her off, "I know what she promised me."

"Well, I'm not sure what exactly happened between Jake and her but something did and he ended up in a seriously nasty car wreck. Then his brother killed himself... and with her being pregnant and all... She might just be too bus –"

"Call Jasper now and get him to her place!" he snapped, cutting her off again.

"What? Why?"

He clenched his fists in his lap, completely balling the pamphlet up in the process. He wasn't sure he could breathe. "She sent you, Alice. There's a _reason_  she sent you."

She looked at him sharply. "You don't  _think –_ "

He didn't let her finish her question. "That is  _exactly_ what I think."

Alice swallowed, reaching into her bag in the floor of her car and pulling out her phone. She quickly touched the screen a couple of times before bringing it to her ear.

"Jasper," she said after what felt like far too long for him, starting to explain, "I'm sure it's nothing, but can you go and check on Bella? Edward is slightly concerned –"


	164. Chapter 163 - Promises (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 163 – Promises (Jasper)**

He pulled up out front of Jacob's and Bella's place. In spite of his reassurance to Alice that he was sure Bella was fine, he actually wasn't. When she hadn't been at her brother-in-law's funeral, he'd been concerned but he'd avoided going to check on her. The knowledge that Alice and him were going to be getting Maysun in only a couple more days kept him busy and distracted.

Though the truth was that he'd have avoided it even without the knowledge of getting Maysun soon. Jasper had seen enough death in his life and the last thing he wanted was to discover his cousin's body but he couldn't ignore Alice's request.

Jasper got out of his vehicle and headed up the walk to the front door, knocking loudly. He closed his eyes, counting to thirty in his head and getting ready to break it down when the door suddenly opened.

"What do you want, Jasper?" Bella's hair looked bedraggled, as if it hadn't been washed in days, and she had dark circles under her eyes as if she hadn't been sleeping well for quite awhile.

"Apparently you promised Edward to pick him up today. He was quite concerned when Alice showed instead."

Bella's eyebrows rose slightly. "I'm surprised he even remembered," she muttered.

"Your promises are something that you always follow through with. Edward knows that perhaps better than anyone."

She snorted, the sound more scornful than anything he'd ever heard from her. "Perhaps I'm just a very good liar instead." She turned and walked away from him, heading toward the kitchen.

He frowned and followed her into the house. "What's going on?"

She shrugged, not responding.

He opened his mouth, but a quick glance around the house had him walking down the hall and into her bedroom. At the end of her bed was a bench and right in the center of the bench was a box he'd recognize anywhere.

Frowning, he lifted the wooden lid, hope to find anything other than what belonged in it, but finding a revolver nestled inside the velvet mold just the way it should be. Jasper pulled the revolver out but didn't even have to open the revolver to know it was loaded. The weight told him that much.

He walked back out to the living room, carrying the gun. "Why the hell is this in your room? Just what are you planning?"

"It's not mine. It was dad's backup weapon. He wasn't carrying it when he was shot so I've kept it to remember him by."

He noticed she avoided his question. "And why is it just sitting out? Not in a safe or something."

"I pulled it out a few weeks ago, haven't gotten around to putting it away." She shrugged again.

He didn't need her to spell out exactly when she must have pulled it out. "You've given up, haven't you?"

There was no reply for several seconds. "Maybe for all of half of a second... But at this point, I simply haven't put it away yet. I go to see my obgyn in a couple of days, figured I'd talk to him about a recommendation for a counselor given the way my hormones have been causing me emotional whiplash. I'll probably put it away after that."

"Why leave it out until then?"

"Because if I put it away it'll be too easy to pretend that half a second never happened. I need the reminder."

His brow furrowed. "Are you sure?"

"I am."


	165. Chapter 164 - Report a Crime (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 164 – Report a Crime (Leah)**

She paced the floor of the Forks police department. She knew she could just turn around and walk out the very door she'd come in about thirty minutes earlier. Part of her thought she even should. But...

But if she'd done this to begin with Seth might still be alive. That feeling in the pit of the stomach that had been there ever since Garrett had told her what had led to Seth's decision once again intensified. Honestly, she hadn't been able to keep anything down in five days. The guilt was physically eating her alive.

She should have told the cops the day after she'd found out, but she'd just wanted to live normally. She'd wanted to forget it had happened and go about her day to day life – hadn't wanted to deal with getting run through the mud by first the cops and later the lawyers before probably being ridiculed by the court. Could anyone blame her for wanting to avoid it?

Well, given the way her stomach was in knots, apparently she could judge herself plenty.

Emmett stepped out of his office. "You wanted to talk with me?"

She looked toward the escape door briefly but finally stiffened her spine. "Yeah, can we talk in your office?"

"Sure" He turned and went back into his room.

She slowly followed him, shutting the door behind her once she was in the office, leaning against the door as if she needed the reminder of how easy it would be to change her mind and not follow through with this nightmare of an idea.

"I... I need to report a crime."

Emmett frowned. "Mark or Steve could have taken your report."

"It's not... it's not in this jurisdiction. And it's not something like smoking weed or a car wreck. It's a bit more serious than that."

His frown grew more defined, but he pulled a notepad and pen out of a drawer in his desk drawer. "Okay... what is it?"

"The man that was found murdered in Seattle, Randal Davis, I know who killed him. The man who did it told me on the evening of September eighth, 2011. It was so late that it might have been the ninth. I apologize that I'm not sure of that part. But his name is Alonzo Calderas. He admitted to me what he did."

He sat his pen down. "Come sit down, go over with me how you know this."

She swallowed but slowly pulled away from the door and walked over to take a seat in the chair in front of his desk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: For the record, I now have premium Grammarly, so though the story will still be far from perfect, I'm slowly going to go through about five to ten chapters at a time and use Grammarly to get the worst of the errors corrected, and not just this story but on every story I have with only a few exceptions.


	166. Chapter 165 - Not Sure (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 165 – Not Sure (Bella)**

When the knock came on the front door for the second time that day, she wasn't as surprised. Honestly, after Jasper's sudden visit – and more specifically the reason behind it – she had been expecting another visitor.

Specifically, she'd been expecting Edward since.

She walked over to the front door and opened it to find him on the other side of the door.

Bella looked Edward up and down, noticing that even though she knew he'd been sober for a solid three months, he still looked solidly hungover. It was yet another kick in her mind, reminding her of how screwed she was.

"Edward," she said softly before turning her back on him and going back in the house. She knew if he followed her in, it would be the first time he'd ever been in her home. Of course, she wasn't sure he would follow her.

When the door shut a moment later, she knew he'd entered her house.

"Why weren't you there to pick me up today? You promised, Bella."

"I know I did... It just stopped mattering." She shrugged slightly. It wasn't true though, her mind had been screaming at her for days over her choice to break a promise, but she'd needed to do it.

"Promises mean everything to you though." He sounded confused as he spoke.

She flinched. "Maybe I'm just another liar."

"What do you mean? How can you say that?" His confusion, if anything, was even more defined.

She turned toward him as she sat at one of the chairs in her dining room. "I don't know what to say, Edward. I'm just not sure where to go with my life now."

"I... don't understand."

She could tell by the confusion still on his face. "I can see that." She looked down. "Last month Jake and I renewed our vows. I knew we were going to do it which was why I wanted you to understand we wouldn't be continuing our affair when you got back. It was why I told you what I did. But it turns out I am pregnant – with twins even – and because I'm not sure if they're his or yours it's been exasperating how my hormones are affecting me. At least, I think that's the problem. Honestly, I suppose it could be just about anything.

"But whatever is causing my hormones to go insane, it ended with me accusing Jake that he was still cheating on me and him driving off in anger only to get in an accident that's left him so badly injured that I'm not sure if he'll ever walk again. And now here you are, and I have no clue what to do with you being here."

Edward's eyes widened slightly. "What do you mean they might be mine?"

"My approximate conception date per the doctor is right between the last time I slept with you and one of my times with my husband. Though god knows I hope they aren't yours."

"What? Why?"

She looked at him for a moment in complete exasperation before she shook her head. "I love you, Edward. You have to know that. But we both know the first thing you're going to do when you go home. And what am I going to do with that? They deserve better than to have a parent who will never be able to remember their names. Let alone anything else."

She sighed. "And now I've damaged the relationship with the only other man I love to the point that I'm pretty sure it's beyond fixing. I always promised myself I'd never become my mom, but I honestly don't know where else I'm going to end up."

She was silent for a minute, waiting to see what he'd say, but he made no response.

Finally, she got up from her chair. "There can be no future between us as long as you intend to continue on your current path of self-destruction."

Bella made a beeline for her bedroom, slamming the door behind her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick note, I already posted about this on facebook and my blog, but my flash drive which had everything for my stories and so much more on it was damaged yesterday. And losing all of that is really affecting my state of mind at the moment.


	167. Chapter 166 - Professionally (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 166 – Professionally (Rosalie)**

"No." She crossed her arms over her chest stubbornly, not that Maggie on her headset could actually see her.

"We'd be able to avoid that lawsuit if we –"

"I said no, Maggie. Siobhan already has caused enough trouble. I don't need her involved with anything else."

"I'm not sure if Noella is going to be able to handle the pressure once we start the shoots and everything. Siobhan has enough experience to behave professionally. We can at least have her as a backup option if Noella falls through."

Rosalie sighed, rolling her eyes heavenward. "I get that you and she are friends, just as I understand that she  _technically knows_  how to model, but she has chosen to rebel against my rules at every step of the way. She fights about the outfits that she's put in, insists on wearing stilettos which are dangerously tall, refuses to work with our makeup specialist, and is just generally argumentative. I don't know if it's because of your friendship or if it's because she's simply genuinely spoiled, but whatever the case may be, August and her attempt to try and slip in her own – poorly made, I might add – designs was the absolute last straw for me. In fact, it will quite possibly be the last time she works for  _anyone_  in our business."

"We need ten models for the shoot in London next week. What am I supposed to do if Noella's freaks when we get there?"

Rosalie frowned thoughtfully, knowing that Maggie was right. The spot that they'd acquired in the London Couture Showcase was unstable at best. If they failed to meet the minimum requirements, she knew they'd lose their spot in the show. "My aunt is joining you in case things go wrong. Though it's not ideal as she's slightly older than our traditional demographic, I suppose if Noella can't cut it than Irina can take her place for the actually showcase. Actually, you could do it. You know how to model."

"I haven't modeled since I was a teen and there's a difference between modeling a corset and modeling normal wear."

"Yes. The second you can actually admit to your kids," Rosalie replied sarcastically.

"HA! I don't have any." The line clicked, signaling that she had disconnected.

Rosalie pulled her headset out of her ear, frowning slightly as she considered – not for the first time – if she was making the right choice in not going to London herself. After all, plenty of women flew in their third trimester...


	168. Chapter 167 - Confused (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: I had a hard time capturing the essence of what I wanted in this chapter, and I'm still not sure I did it justice, but hopefully it conveys that feeling of the bottom falling out from under him.

**Chapter 167 – Confused (Edward)**

He stared at the door Bella had slammed behind her without any clue of what to do. He was legitimately confused by her harsh words – by the reasoning she'd provided him for failing to follow through on her promise.

She'd never said something before which had made Edward quite as confused as he was at the moment. He simply didn't understand why she would rather the kids she was pregnant with be Jake's. She'd never before taken issue with his habits. Oh sure, she had expressed her displeasure on occasion, staying away for several months or threatening to get his father involved, but she always came around – always forgave him.

So he didn't get why she was so upset with him this time.

Of course, she'd always had the patience of a saint and part of him had always expected her to eventually break, but what was it about this time that she'd finally given up on him?

It was hardly the first time she had been pregnant. He'd seen her go through hell with more than one of her pregnancies, but he'd never seen her react the way she was behaving this time.

He couldn't help but ask himself if perhaps the reason she was so upset was that she feared he'd be as bad as his father had been? Or did she fear that he'd potentially be worse?

Edward stumbled to the chair at the table she'd vacated earlier, sitting down hard in it.

He wasn't sure he was even capable of being a father – in all honesty, he'd never been good at much of anything. He was a failure as a brother, a friend, a lover, even a son. If he hadn't been such a failure, his father never would have treated him the way he had.

How could he be responsible for the well being of, not one, but possibly two little lives?

He wasn't ready.

If he were a hundred percent honest with himself, he'd never be ready.

Edward buried his head in his hands as he started to weep.


	169. Chapter 168 - Handle (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 168 – Handle (Alice)**

_**November 7th, 2011** _

Jasper leaned against the refrigerator. "Maybe we didn't think this completely through," he muttered, but there was a slight smile on his face which told Alice he wasn't serious.

"We knew going in that it wouldn't be easy," she pointed out before looking over at the little girl who was crouched against the far wall with her arms wrapped around her knees. "Just keep your distance from her until she gets used to being here."

She could feel Jasper's pointed stare at the back of her head. "If I get any farther away from her, I'll be outside."

Alice shrugged slightly. "She needs to get used to this house and to us. It's going to take time."

Not that they were being given it. The adoption agency was supposed to send a social worker every week to check on their progress and if they couldn't prove they could handle Maysun – the adoption agency's word of choice – within a month than they wouldn't be able to get Athenodora.

A  _single_  month to try to resolve what had to stem from deep-seated historical abuse. It wasn't near enough time, and Alice knew it. After all, it had been more than eight years since the last time her father had physically harmed her, and she still struggled, though she hid it well – burying it in the depth of her mind.

"How are we supposed to help her when not a single one of the counselors on the adoption agencies approved list was a woman? She has issues with men."

Alice sighed. "That may be the very reason that the only people on that list are men." Either that or the adoption agency was wanting them to fail. If Alice was being completely honest with herself, she was betting on the latter reason.

"You believe that about as much as I do."

She looked back towards her husband to see him with his arms crossed over his chest.

"There's nothing we can do about that. We have to play their games and we both know it. Why don't you make some grilled cheese while you're in the kitchen? Then I'll see if I can convince her to eat."

Jasper scowled. "Since when did I get demoted to chef?"

She grinned. "Since you're stuck in the kitchen, anyways."

Jasper rolled his eyes but stepped away from the fridge and turned toward it.

She sat down on the floor pulling out her phone to pull up one of the mobile games she had downloaded on it.

"Maysun, I have this really cool game where you can use a slingshot to shoot overweight birds at ugly green pigs. It's fun. I'll let you play if you want."

The little girl looked towards her.

"But." Alice held her cellphone out slightly. "You'll have to come over here to play it."

Maysun tilted her head to the side for a moment, as if considering it, before shaking her head wildly.

"Guess I'll play it by myself then."


	170. Chapter 169 - Volition (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 169 – Volition (Jacob)**

"You've heard what the doctor said, you have to be patient with the rehab. It may take a long time for you to be able to move properly again," Leah said quietly, her voice worried.

He knew, somewhere in the back of his mind, that she was just trying to help. But he didn't want to hear it, didn't want to be told it could be months or even a year – possibly longer – before he was able to do even the most basic of things. He didn't want to hear again that there was a high possibility he might never run again – might never be able to work on another vehicle.

As far as he was concerned, the doctors, nurses, and Leah could all fuck off. He was not going to live the rest of his life refined to a cane or a wheelchair.

"I just want to sit up," he snarled.

She bit her lip and picked up the bed remote.

He smacked the remote out of her hand. "Of my own volition. It's nerve damage, not a broken spinal cord. I  _should be_ able to do it."

That was the other thing that his doctor had explained to him. Technically, he still had all the mobility he always had because it wasn't like his vertebrae had been damaged – he was lucky in that respect – instead, it was all about his pain threshold. The more pain he could take, the more he'd be able to move.

His problem was, even trying to push himself into a sitting position felt like he was being ripped in two.

"Trying to sit up without any help might be too much for now."

"Screw you, Leah."

"You've already driven off your wife, maybe you should try not to piss me off too." She crossed her arms over her chest.

"You are what drove her away. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised if it wasn't your loud mouth that prompted Seth's downward spiral to begin with!" he stated, actually shouted by the time he finished.

For a moment, the room was completely silent, but before he could even contemplate taking it back, Leah screeched, "You know what. FUCK YOU!"

She ran out of his hospital room, slamming the door behind her.


	171. Chapter 170 - Jurisdiction (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 170 – Jurisdiction (Emmett)**

He crossed his arms over his chest. "I trust her, the description and the details she provided are accurate, I'm sure of it."

"Based on this statement, she was high at the time she supposedly heard him say it. She won't hold up in court even if Alonzo did kill the man – something I'm not sold on. Frankly, I think you're just looking for a scapegoat, so we don't arrest your brother."

Emmett clenched his hands into fists, slowly counting to ten in his head. This was why he hated the state police – their heads were so far up their own asses that all they could spout was a bunch of crap. "If my brother were responsible for such a heinous crime, I wouldn't protect him. I take the oaths I made when I became first a cop and later the chief very seriously. My brother would never physically hurt anyone. He's too gentle of a man. If you spent  _any_ amount of time actually researching him than you'd know that."

The cop made a scoffing noise. "And you expect us to believe that the son of a man who invests millions of dollars every year into Seattle is the killer. Based on the testimony of some nobody."

"If you won't look into it, I will."

"It's out of your jurisdiction."

"There's a killer on the loose, and you'd rather spend your time pursuing an innocent man than going after the actual man. I'd say it's well within my rights."

"If you insert yourself in this investigation, I'll have you arrested for it."

"After what Garrett's boyfriend did directly after you interrogated him for no reason, I'd like to see you try."

The state cop – Emmett was ignoring his badge, calling him mister asshole in his head instead – arched an eyebrow at him. "We had reasons for bringing him in."

"I'm sure." His voice was so sardonic that there was no way anyone could question his true opinion. "You either bring Alonzo in or I will. And you won't like it if I get that involved."

Emmett turned his back to mister asshole and headed towards the door out of the precinct.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So just a quick note here. This is last major mention with regards to what happened to Randal. I know a lot of people are curious about what's going on with Garrett, but that won't be revealed until later.


	172. Chapter 171 - Lashing Out (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 171 – Lasing Out (Leah)**

She managed to make it to First Beach before she got out of her car and broke down in tears, sliding down the side of her car into a sitting position.

Leah had tried not to let Jacob get to her over the last few days but he was continuously grumpy and today's accusation had hit far too close to home for her.

The truth was, Leah was having a hard time not blaming herself entirely for what Seth did. She didn't need Jake rubbing the guilt she was struggling to bury in her face.

She buried her head in her hands, sobbing. Her breaths shuddered in and out, physical pain – which she rationally knew was all psychological – clawed at her chest, as she tried to figure out what to do.

Suddenly, a hand was placed on her shoulder. Leah jerked to the side, looking up to see Emily.

"Are you alright?"

Leah was on her feet before she'd made a conscious decision to do so. "Go away," she demanded, her voice hoarse from the crying she'd just been doing.

"Jeez. I was just trying to help." Emily stepped back slightly.

"Really? Is that what you were trying to do when you blabbed to Rachel that you found out Seth was gay."

She crossed her arms over her chest. "It wasn't fair to him to be pretending to be straight just to assuage your strange obsession with Jake –  _a_   _married man_."

"It had nothing to do with me and everything to do with him. If you'd been listening when you confronted me on the beach originally you would have understood that."

"I heard he was dating a guy before the end."

Leah stepped forward, tempted to punch her cousin in the face, but lashing out verbally instead. "He could have done that and still had me as a safety net –" she wasn't about to acknowledge that he'd actually broke up with her  _before_  his sister had found out, or at least before his sister had confronted Jake about it "– when he needed it. Because the truth of the matter was he was struggling to accept his own sexuality. You see, thanks to his family – specifically his sisters – he was always raised to believe that being gay was wrong. And thanks to you, he lost all the love his sisters had for him..." She trailed off and turned her back on her cousin, opening the door to her car.

Emily behind her was completely silent, as if unsure what to say and Leah knew she'd already said enough, but she paused before getting in, not bothering to look at her cousin as she spoke up again, "Do me a favor. When Jane and Alec ask what happened to 'Unca Seth' be sure to record it when you tell them that you're the reason he's dead as I'd like to see their reaction. After all, the last call he made was to his homophobic sister – the person you told him on."

She got into her vehicle, slamming the door and starting it up, quickly putting the car in reverse and peeling backwards.


	173. Chapter 172 - Anonymous (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 172 – Anonymous (Edward)**

Bella pulled her truck to a stop in front of the church.

Edward looked at the front of The First Methodist Church. If he was being completely honest with himself, the building looked closer to a prison than a church.

And he  _really_  didn't want to go inside.

"I'll wait outside for you. If you're serious about doing this, anyways," Bella said softly.

He flinched, remembering what led to her driving him here. It was a narcotics anonymous meeting place – a place recommended by Carlisle – and after breaking down at the kitchen table in Bella's house he'd agreed to try.

Edward closed his eyes. The truth was, if it weren't for the fact that he knew he'd lose Bella permanently if he didn't start to actually try he wouldn't be going. He'd rather be high and not able to remember anything than have to live sober, but he wasn't willing to have her give up on him – so he had to try.

He was already expecting he'd fail though.

"Yeah, I want to." Even he could hear the lack of conviction in his own words.

He reached for the truck's door handle but stopped when he felt Bella's hand on his arm.

"You know this is only going to work if you want it to. Otherwise, it's just a waste of time."

"I want it to," he muttered, still lacking any kind of resolve in his voice.

"Edward..."

"Look, I need to. For your sake if nothing else." He refused to meet her eyes as he started to get defensive.

"That isn't how this works. I can't be the reason you decide to get better. It has to be for yourself. You have to know that."

He shrugged slightly, not responding to her words as he opened the door to her truck, quickly getting out to head to the meeting.

Edward couldn't help but hear her sigh before he slammed the door shut.


	174. Chapter 173 - Insurgents (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: Something happened about three days ago, anyone who checks my blog probably knows what it was, I'm not going to go into it now. But it really messed with me and I apologize the late post.

**Chapter 173 – Insurgents (Jasper)**

_**November 9th, 2011** _

Jasper knew it was going to take time to get Maysun used to him, knew the way she reacted wasn't her fault, but the truth was he hadn't been prepared for his psychological reaction.

He supposed he probably should have been prepared for it. But it hadn't even occurred to him that her fear of him might cause him to flashback to his time in Iraq.

Jasper tried not to think about it most days, but the truth was that he'd taken the life of more than one child while in service to the United States Army. It wasn't something that he liked to think about. But, with the way Maysun acted towards him, it brought the memories to the forefront of his mind.

"I think I need to get out of the house for the day," he murmured to Alice.

She turned toward him on the bed, reaching out and interlocking her hands with his. "She's not going to get used to you if you run from this."

"I know, but I think I need to talk with Dr Gerandy. The last thing we need is to permanently traumatize her if I end up freaking out and striking something."

"Why would that happen? Are you meds not working properly?"

"You know they're not foolproof and her being around is causing me to have a slightly unforeseen reaction."

Her brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"It has to do with my time in the army... the way she acts. Well, insurgents came in all shapes and sizes." In his mind, he could still see one of the first times he'd run across one such person – a little boy who'd barely appeared to be five years old and had been wearing a dead man's vest. He shook his head, trying to banish the memories.

Alice leaned forward, tucking her head under his chin. "I'm sorry," she whispered softly into his chest.

He held her to him and closed his eyes, promising himself that he'd call his psychiatrist later.


	175. Chapter 174 - In May (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 174 – In May (Rosalie)**

She stretched her arms above her head, wishing she could twist from side to side more easily like she used to. But, given the twenty-five pound-watermelon in her gut, that was proving to be impossible. Rosalie sort of wished she was built like some of the athletes who somehow managed to go the full nine months without ever even realizing they were pregnant.

Sadly, she wasn't like that. She still had another two months and looked like she was already set to pop.

She looked towards the door to her office as it opened and Emmett stepped in.

"I'm just about to head out to work. There anything you need?"

"Yeah, Australia. In May."

Emmett arched an eyebrow at her. "Huh?" Even without the half grunted question she could tell he thought she was crazy.

"Our wedding. I mean I think we'll have to sign the wedding certificate here, but what about a small ceremony in Australia. On the beach. We can invite your brothers – not Alice though, she wouldn't come even if we did invite her... stupid aviophobic person. And I'll get Bella to come."

"Why Australia?" He sounded confused as he asked.

"Well, we could do it locally, but I really don't want to. As much as I like the local pastor, there are several less than pleasant memories associated with him. And I'd like to marry before my next trip to NYC in August, but I don't think I want to go to the fashion show in Tokyo in February. At that point, I'll have only had our kid for a few weeks, and I'm not even sure flying would be a healthy option for me – I know it wouldn't be for a newborn baby. So Australia is the fashion show in between the two. And by then I'll probably be going stir crazy. Therefore, it's the perfect time."

"Pretty perfect setting too," Emmett murmured.

Rosalie smiled slightly. "Exactly."

Emmett chuckled slightly before checking his watch. "I'm going to be late." He turned toward the office door.

"Don't I get a kiss?" she grumbled.

He quickly spun back around and came over to her desk, leaning in and kissing Rosalie quickly on the nose. "Next time, brush your teeth." He chuckled as he stepped back and made a fast escape.

Rosalie glared at his back as he left. "He's an asshole. An absolute asshole."


	176. Chapter 175 - Choked Up (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 175 – Choked Up (Bella)**

She looked around the property which was still ninety percent forest – only about two dozen trees had been downed – and frowned deeply. She knew Jacob had been coming out and working on it daily, but the minimal progress was seriously depressing.

"This area is going to need a lot of work."

"What is this place?" Edward asked, stepping up beside her.

"Jacob bought it a few months ago with the intent to clear the land and build his auto-shop and my restaurant on it. Originally, Paul was supposed to help, but things happened between Jacob and him. Now I've got to take care of it. It's not going to do itself, after all."

"How?"

"I suppose I'll have to ask Rose for a loan and hire someone, as it took all of the money from my dad's life insurance to pay for Seth's funeral. I can't really wield a chainsaw at the moment, and even if I weren't pregnant, I wouldn't be able to exactly focus on this."

"What about just selling it? It's not like your husband will be able to use it anyways. Not after what happened."

Bella flinched at Edward's harsh words, trying to force herself from breaking down in tears. "He'll get better, Edward. I know he will. And when he does, he's going to need a job. The least I can do is make sure his dream be... becomes a... a reality." She completely choked up by the end.

"Are you crying?" Edward asked, sounding completely horrified.

Bella wiped at her eyes with the palm of her hand. "No," she muttered.

She could feel his eyes on the side of her face. "You are crying! Why are you crying?"

Bella shook her head, not responding to Edward's question and took off deeper into the forest.


	177. Chapter 176 - The Other Man (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 176 – The Other Man (Edward)**

He watched Bella take off into the forest, his brow furrowing in confusion. It was his understanding that she'd broke it off with Jacob, so he didn't get why she was upset – he just couldn't figure it out.

He was here, completely sober – though he wouldn't deny he didn't want to be – standing by her side, trying to help her, and all for her.

Edward looked back toward her truck, tempted to get in and wait for her to come back on her own. But what if she got lost? What if she fell? God, what if she went into premature labor? What if something worse happened?

He sighed and trekked after her into the depths of the woods. He'd heard what Bella had said about hoping the kids weren't his, and the more he thought about it, the more he agreed with her assessment. Every part of him believed he'd be a worse man than his father had ever been. He also knew, in spite of Bella's own concerns about his capabilities, that she'd be the first to smack and correct him if she heard what he was thinking.

The problem was, he honestly didn't know what else to believe about himself. He was pretty sure he'd read it somewhere, or maybe heard it somewhere, that abuse victims were more likely to become abusive themselves than someone who had never experienced it.

"Bella?" he asked when he saw her with her head leaning against a tree.

"Just go back to the truck, Edward." Her voice was muffled against the bark of the tree.

"No. I don't get it. This place isn't your responsibility anymore, so why does it matter?"

"He's still my husband. I still love him. That's not something that's going to change overnight. I'm not even sure it'll ever change, in all honesty."

"I... don't understand."

He hated that he still felt so confused, but trying to be an intricate part of her life was harder than he'd ever been able to anticipate. He honestly hadn't expected it to be so difficult and he almost wished he could just go back to being the other man – back to being nothing more than friend and dependent to her... not that he was sure he was much more now.

Bella turned toward him with a bone-weary sigh, leaning her back against the tree instead. "You and Jake both came into my life at about the same time, a time when I was especially vulnerable. I'd just been taken from the only parent who I'd ever known to that point and was moved to some backwater town I'd never heard of. And even though I was only nine, I'd been the caretaker of my mom practically my whole life – or at least the portion of it I can remember. Charlie and Rosalie were already a well-oiled machine, and there wasn't really a place for the little independent sister that could. They knew what to do with me about as well as I knew what to do with them. I needed both you, someone who needed a real rock, and Jacob, a breath of sunshine in this dreary peninsula. And as I grew older, I fell, for  _both of you_. I can't change that. But after Jake and I lost little William, things started to change between him and me, and he stopped being my sunshine, he stopped being  _my_ rock. And I turned to you, and not only as a friend, but as a lover. And because of that, I can't ever really be true to him. At least, not in my heart. But it doesn't change that I still care for him."

"So what, I have to settle as being second best?"

She flinched, and he instantly wished he could take it back.

"You don't have to  _settle_  as  _anything_. You can go home and back to exactly what you prefer if you want. I can't stop you. Not now, not ever. But if you intend to stay, you have to accept that I am broken, and there's no way I'm going to put myself together just to appease you. Not this time."

He frowned, not sure what to say to that, but finally muttering, "Well, I suppose I could cut the trees down."

There was no reaction at all from her for so long that he started to count in his head, but before he got very far, she threw her head back and laughed.


	178. Chapter 177 - Cafeteria (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: I just wanted to comment on a guest review, since I don't have a way to reply to them directly. With regard to Jacob not knowing that Bella's pregnant, he definitely knows. He knew before Bella herself did, dating back to Chapter 41 – Recipe (Jacob). He was the first in the story to actually realize it. Now I didn't come out and show it, because I have to pick and choose what scenes I write (because let's be honest, if I did even just 1 scene from every character for every single day from July 25th through today, November 9th, that would be 874 chapters so far... and yeah, not happening). But if you remember the chapter where Bella fainted at work then it's obvious after that Jacob – being Bella's husband and therefore next of kin – would have been called. So he would have been there when she discovered she was having twins.

**Chapter 177 – Cafeteria (Leah)**

Leah sat down with a plate of food from the cafeteria, just staring at the turkey sandwich and chips she'd paid good money for. The truth was she wasn't hungry, hadn't been hungry since finding Seth's body almost three weeks prior, most of the time when she tried to eat she ended up throwing it up.

She needed to talk to someone about it, but the person she would have normally turned to when she was upset was the one who'd died. And the only other person who might be able to help her through it already had his plate full.

Leah couldn't possibly talk to Jacob about the way she felt. Of course, if she continued being unable to keep anything down, she'd likely end up in a hospital bed of her own, but she wasn't sure what else she could do.

Sighing, she picked up the food from the table as she got up, heading straight to the closest trash can and dumping the untouched food in it.

Leah pulled her cellphone out of her pocket and pulled up her text messaging system scrolling through her messages to try and determine who she could reach out to. Finally, she shook her head and scrolled back to the top, tapping on the messages between Jared and her.

She quickly typed out,  _Can you get me some firewater?_ And shot it off before she could give herself time to talk herself out of it – like drinking a copious amount of alcohol on an empty stomach that hadn't been able to keep down food in weeks was a good idea.

Leah knew it wasn't, but she wasn't sure what else to do. She needed a break from the guilt, needed to try to find a way to get her appetite back, and honestly just needed a basic stress relief.

 _Sure. When do you want it?_ The text came back only a few seconds after she sent hers.

 _Tonight_.

Sighing, she headed back to Jacob's hospital room, hoping his rehab session of the day was done... and praying he'd made progress today.


	179. Chapter 178 - Check (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 178 – Check (Edward)**

_**November 10th, 2011** _

He pulled away from the property with the check carefully tucked in his pocket.

He was so tempted to take the money and use it for himself, but he needed the money to help Bella. It was why he went there. In fact, it was only for her that he'd ever go there and he knew it.

Edward knew that she'd told him several times that she couldn't be the reason for the things he did, but she was all he had to really struggle for.

He pulled to a stop along the side of the road, fingering the check through the pocket with the six-digit figure on it. He wasn't sure it would be enough for anything. Edward knew next to nothing about building businesses – no, he knew less than nothing.

And what was worse was the fact that he'd essentially put a number on not only his abuse but his sister's as well. But, even though Alice and he could have potentially won far more after years in court, possibly even finally seen their father rotting in prison where he belonged, the truth was it would drag both her and him through all kinds of hell to do it. His sister had just adopted a little girl and was finally getting to a place where she was truly alright. There was no way he was going to screw it up for her, especially not over a possibility when it was just as likely it wouldn't end well. Besides, he wasn't sure he'd be able to survive it.

So he'd made the offer to his dad, and his dad had accepted. Now, the type of money he had in his pocket was enough to supply him with drugs to last...

Edward shook his head, stopping the thoughts in their tracks. It was a dangerous road to let his mind travel. At least it was if he had any hope of remaining off the drugs.

He restarted his vehicle, planning to stop at the bank first thing.


	180. Chapter 179 - Tempted (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 179 – Tempted (Jacob)**

"How are you doing?" Bella asked softly, sitting in the chair next to his hospital bed.

He was in misery, the rehab training was painful, so much so that he'd passed out during two of the sessions already. After passing out in his session yesterday, the doctor had suggested he might need to accept that he was paralyzed and use a wheelchair for the rest of his life. He'd just about snapped at the doctor that he'd eat a bullet first... and he would too, he'd never let himself become his father.

But he was determined. He'd find a way to handle the pain and learn to walk again. Hell, he'd beat the odds and learn to run again, learn to work on vehicles again, and more. And he'd do it all just to spite the doctor if he had to.

"I'm fine," he grumbled before looking down at her belly. He knew better than to say that she looked like she was carrying a watermelon already – he didn't need the waterworks – but it wasn't actually an unattractive look on her. "And how are you? And our kids?"

Bella placed her hand on her belly, looking down. "I'm alright, I went out to the property yesterday, and I'm going to ask Rose if she can loan me the money so I can get that property cleared and our businesses built."

"You don't have to do that. I'll be out of here and on my feet to go back to work on it in no time." It was a lie, of course.

Bella looked back up at him, arching an eyebrow.

He looked away. "And our kids?"

When he glanced back, she was looking down again. "They might not be yours..."

She spoke so quietly that he had to strain to hear what she was saying. Once he figured out exactly what she meant his brow furrowed. "Is that why you freaked on our wedding vow day? Because you realized there was a chance the kids weren't biologically mine?"

"No, I'd figured it out when I'd found out I was pregnant and they told me how long I'd been pregnant. But it might have contributed to stress and that caused more of a freak out after I saw Leah's secretive smile. I don't know."

"Why didn't you tell me before?"

"I didn't want it to be true. I also wasn't sure I'd be able to keep the pregnancy so I wasn't sure it would even matter. With my luck with pregnancies... But you deserve to know that there's a possibility they aren't yours."

He was tempted to offer her the out he was suspecting she was looking for, tempted to offer to be the father even if they weren't biologically his, but he'd had enough time in the hospital to finally understand why Bella had lost it. They kept doing the same things over and over, hoping for a different result, but the fact was their marriage wasn't working and hadn't been working for years – before they'd ever started cheating on each other, in all reality.

He reached his hand out and took Bella's hand, stretching as far as he could physically go, gritting his teeth to keep from groaning aloud in doing so.

"I'll always be here for you. Always be here for the kids too, mine or not. You have to know that."

She smiled slightly.

"But –" he grimaced, already hating himself for what he was about to suggest. It was funny, because he actually wanted Bella to be okay with his relationship with Leah, but he couldn't willingly say the same for her. "Don't you think you owe Edward a chance? He's always been your best friend, after all."

She closed her eyes, whispering, "Perhaps."


	181. Chapter 180 - Grief (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 180 – Grief (Leah)**

For a few brief hours the night before, she'd had a reprieve the guilt that ate away at her like a parasite.

She ought to know, she'd actually had tapeworm when she was a young kid. Something she was now acutely remembering as she prayed to the porcelain god and threw up for the fourth time since she woke up.

Of course, she was lucky she hadn't asphyxiated on her own vomit after she'd passed out the night before. By some stroke of luck, she'd actually woken up when she needed to throw up. And it truly was a miracle that she had.

The longer she was awake, the more she realized it. She'd drank close to two liters of firewater the night before, and her mind now let her know just how deadly, stupid, and dangerous that had been.

If she had died from the consumption of that amount of alcohol she could just imagine what the medical examination would rule it as. As she thought it over, she wasn't sure that assumption would even be wrong. It wasn't like she hadn't known she was being an absolute idiot even at the time.

Leah sat back, closing her eyes.

"Damn you for what you did, Seth. Why didn't you talk to me? Why couldn't you have waited?" She cried out hoarsely, silently pleading to whatever god was listening that she'd wake up in a few minutes from a bad trip and it would turn out her friend was still alive.

Unfortunately, her desperation went unanswered because she wasn't asleep, wasn't dreaming – in fact, she hadn't dreamt at all last night.

No, her friend was dead, and no matter how she looked at it or who she placed the blame on, it was all her fault.

Leah banged her head against the cabinet behind her – not caring that it inflamed the headache from the hangover – as she started to sob in earnest.


	182. Chapter 181 - You Didn't Know? (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 181 – You Didn't Know? (Rosalie)**

_**November 24th, 2011** _

"Are you sure Garrett won't be joining us?" Rosalie asked as she opened the oven door to check on the turkey for the tenth time – more than a little grateful that she no longer was suffering from random bouts of nausea anymore as she did.

"You do realize the more times you open that oven, the more heat you'll let out and the longer it's going to take to cook, right?" Emmett pointed out unhelpfully from where he was leaning against the wall. "And no, he's not even in the state at the moment."

Rosalie ignored his first comment – after all, she'd already seen him burn water – focusing on the part about Garrett instead. "Where's Garrett?"

"He lost his job with the Peninsula College. And after everything that happened with Seth and all... Well, I guess he decided to take a sabbatical – his word, not mine – to somewhere in South America. Brazil, I think... or was it Argentina? I can't remember."

"And the police allowed him to go?" She was surprised.

"I don't think they could have really stopped him even if they wanted to. As much money as Garrett has, though he spends more freely than I do, he could have paid a private plane to leave. Since they didn't have enough to charge him, they couldn't exactly jail him. And now with the introduction of what Leah provided, there's enough skepticism that no judge would rule to make him stay stateside."

"How long is he going to be gone?"

She knew Emmett was quite close with his older brother and couldn't imagine that he was happy with the man leaving.

Emmett shrugged slightly, looking away from her. "I'm not a hundred percent sure he's coming back. It's not the first time he's lost someone he's cared for. Honestly, my brother has horrible luck when it comes to love. And now with them firing him... He doesn't have much reason to be here."

"How will he get his meds if he stays down there?" Rosalie wondered aloud as she returned to focusing on the pot of potatoes that were about to boil over.

"Meds? What meds?"

She looked back at him immediately, shocked by how his brow was furrowed in confusion.

"You know. His Truvada and Isentress."

"His what?"

"His meds for AIDS, Emmett. Come on, he took the blue and red pills every day while he was here. Surely you noticed."

Emmett looked even more baffled. "But those are just his vitamins. Garrett's always been a vitamin freak..."

"Those aren't vitamins, Emmett." She couldn't believe he hadn't been aware.

He shook his head as he stepped away from his post. "That's... that's not possible."

"You didn't know?"

Emmett shook his head again, walking out of the kitchen without responding.

A few seconds later the front door slammed shut.


	183. Chapter 182 - Marshmallows (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 182 – Marshmallows (Alice)**

"What if she doesn't like turkey?" Jasper asked.

"Then there's a ham and a dozen sides that she can eat from when she finally decides to come down," Alice pointed out, carefully lining the marshmallows in the pan with the yams.

"You mean,  _if she comes down_ ," Jasper grumbled.

Alice sighed. "At least she's doing better. She doesn't cower in the corner every time she sees you anymore."

"I know." He opened the oven door to look inside, checking on the turkey and the ham. "Why are we making all this food again?"

Alice grinned. It was a lot more than what they normally had on Thanksgiving – they're typical Thanksgiving was actually tuna sandwiches and chips. But she'd wanted it to be special for Maysun.

"Because tuna does not make a good Thanksgiving."

"It's worked for the last four years." Jasper crossed his arms over his chest.

"We didn't have a kid the last four years. Maysun deserves a real Thanksgiving."

"Humph."

"Yeah, you know. The dry turkey, the too wet stuffing, the overly sweet candied yams, and slightly blackened dinner rolls." In other words, the dinner she'd never had growing up. Thanksgiving at the Cullens had consisted of going to some Three-star Michelin restaurant in Seattle and eating beef wellington, perfectly cooked sea bass, or an herb glazed rack of lamb... Of course, it had been the same at Christmas and every other holiday. She hadn't experienced a true holiday experience until she'd been placed in the Webers' home. "Besides, we invited your mom over, remember. I don't think Irina would appreciate tuna and chips."

Jasper grunted. "You mean you invited Irina. I'm still not sure it's a good idea."

"Maysun can't live her life hiding from the world. It'll be good to introduce her to our family." Alice grabbed the golden sanding sugar and sprinkled it over the top of the marshmallows then sat the dish aside to put in the oven later. "Or at least the female members of our family. Which consists of Irina."

"I hate it when you're right."

"You love me. You know it." Alice bounced up on her toes and kissed him briefly before turning toward the stairs. "I'm gonna go get Maysun."


	184. Chapter 183 - Slice of Turkey (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 183 – Slice of Turkey (Jacob)**

He scooted up into a sitting position in the hospital bed, gritting his teeth against the severe pain – akin to pure fire spreading up and down his spine as he forced himself to sit. His doctor was proud of his progress, but his doctor wasn't aware of how hard it was for him.

Jake closed his eyes, trying to focus on breathing through it. At least he wasn't passing out from the pain anymore, though he honestly wasn't sure if that was truly worse.

"Knock knock," Leah said from the doorway as she entered.

He opened his eyes to watch as she walked in, carrying two trays of food with her. She placed one of the trays on his roll around bedside table and rolled it over to him before placing her own tray on the end table next to the bed.

"It looks like they have a traditional Thanksgiving dinner here. Stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, dinner roll, green beans, cranberry... sauce –" she poked at the reddish-purple glob "– actually, it's more like jello or some other type of glob, and slices of turkey." Leah picked up one of the slices, holding it up. "Which is so thin that I think I've seen notebook paper which was thicker."

She wasn't lying, he could see the wall through the slice of turkey she was holding up.

"I've never seen a knife that could cut that thin."

"They probably put it through a meat slicer."

"They could have set it to a two or three then."

"Given how thin it is, my guess is they didn't even set it to a one."

Jacob snorted. "Well, I suppose we should dig in."

"Yeah, I guess," Leah said, looking at her tray.

Jacob had already noticed that she wasn't eating as much as she should be – as any person should be, in all reality. But he didn't say anything as he dug into his own plate of food, just eyed her carefully as he did so.


	185. Chapter 184 - Disappointed (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 184 – Disappointed (Edward)**

Edward sat at Bella's dining room table. While Bella, who hadn't been the most pleasant to be around for the last week, was in the kitchen.

He'd expected her to be happy that he'd gotten the money to help with the property, but she hadn't been happy. She'd been ticked, angry for a reason he still didn't understand. He'd tried talking to her about it twice in the last few days, but he wasn't good with confrontation.

He was worried that if he pushed too hard, she'd give up on him entirely. And he didn't have the strength of will to keep trying to remain off of the drugs without her.

"Bella?" Edward asked, looking towards her in the kitchen.

"Yes?" she responded as she lifted the pot of potatoes from the stove.

He half got up to help her but stopped himself. "Are you ever going to get over being mad at me?"

She blew out a long breath, placing the pot on the counter. "I'm not mad, Edward."

"Could have fooled me," he grumbled.

"I'm not. Edward, I'm disappointed. You never should have gone there. Least of all, without actually telling someone, or better yet, taking someone. He's a respected politician, and you're a known drug addict. If he'd decided to shoot you and claim self-defense, nobody would have argued with it. And if you'd disappeared, I wouldn't have known where to look. It was stupid and irresponsible to go there like that."

Edward felt like hiding his head in his arms. "I didn't want to worry you."

"And how do you think I would have felt if something had happened to you? Did you even stop to think about that? I'm carrying two children that could be  _yours!_  They're going to need an actual father in their lives, not a plot in the ground! I worry enough about you falling off the wagon again without also worrying about you doing something stupid to deliberately get yourself killed!"

He shook his head, not at all getting what she was trying to make him understand. "I just wanted to help."

She sighed. "I know, but I could have gotten the money from Rosalie, and you'd never have been in any danger."

"But..." He trailed off, not sure exactly what to say.

"I'll get over it, Edward. It's just going to take me some time. Let's just enjoy today, okay?"

He frowned, not sure that he wanted to agree, but eventually reluctantly nodded.


	186. Chapter 185 - Water in Her Eyes (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 185 – Water in Her Eyes (Leah)**

She pushed the tray farther onto the end table, looking away from the remaining half of her Thanksgiving dinner that she hadn't eaten. She was doing a little better than she had been, in that she was now eating a little without immediately getting sick, but the food tasted like ash in her mouth, and it took real effort on her part to eat.

She wanted to believe that the food was bad, but given that Jacob had finished his full tray in only a handful of minutes, she suspected the issue was her.

"Was that enough food or are you still hungry?" she asked Jacob as she picked up his empty tray and got up to place it on the utility cart for a nurse to take away.

"I think I should be asking you that. You're the one who barely took ten bites of food."

"I just don't feel much like eating." She raised her left shoulder slightly before letting it fall.

"Like you haven't felt like eating for more than a month now. I've met people who've been fasting that eat more than you have been."

Leah refused to look at him as she tried to think of a quick escape. She knew he was right, that she wasn't – and hadn't been – taking care of herself, but she didn't feel like talking about it.

"I'm gonna go back to the cafeteria and see if I can get myself an energy drink or something," she muttered, heading to the door.

"Stop!"

He snapped the word so roughly that she immediately halted her escape.

"Talk to me, Leah. What's going on with you?"

She shook her head, trying hard to keep herself from breaking down yet again. She'd done it enough since she'd found Seth, and knew he didn't need to see it. Frankly, how could her grief even begin to compare to what he had to be going through? Seth had been his brother, after all, not hers.

"Come over here," he murmured.

Leah reluctantly turned toward him while every ounce of her mind begged her to run from the room. She knew he'd be able to see the water in her eyes even if the tears weren't physically falling yet and didn't want him to. She kept her head down as she slowly walked back over to the bed.

Even though she wasn't looking at him directly, she still saw out of the corner of his eye as he frowned. "Get up here with me."

"There isn't enough room," she responded instantly, looking slightly up at him.

"Sure there is." He pushed on the roll-around table hard enough to force it away from his bed before putting his hands on the bed and lifting himself sufficiently to scoot to the side of the bed, letting out a grunt as he did so. "Now get up here while I'm still in so much pain from what I just did that I won't even notice it if you jostle me."

She debated with herself for half of a second, knowing it was probably a bad idea, before climbing on the side of the hospital bed he'd left open and carefully laying down. She tried not to touch too much as she did it, but her desire was promptly ruined as he wrapped an arm around her and pulled her in, making her lay her head on his chest.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

Leah bit her tongue, not wanting to reveal anything, but ended up giving up as she buried her face in his hospital gown, letting the tears she'd been trying to hide fall. "I miss him, Jake. I want him back."

His hand tightened around her, and for a moment there was no response before he finally whispered, "I miss him too."


	187. Chapter 186 - Exuberance (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 186 – Exuberance (Jasper)**

Jasper still wasn't sure what to make of Alice's need to do a million and one things for Thanksgiving. Her traditional lack of need to over exaggerate frivolous holidays was one of the many things he'd truly appreciated about her since they'd gotten together – even before, actually.

He'd fought for the right of the United States, fought to protect the land of the free in a war that wasn't against a country so much as against the nature of mankind. So he understood, only all too well, the meaning behind holidays like Thanksgiving, Memorial Day, Veterans Day, Independence Day, and Labor Day. And though he understood why the government had done what they'd done to him, just as he didn't regret his choice to join the army in the first place, he couldn't find it in himself to have much enthusiasm for the holidays of the country who had tossed him – Peter too – aside like so much used garbage.

He was sure Alice hadn't even thought of it that way, as all she was concerned about was making the day special for Maysun, but he was having a hard time getting into it.

It didn't help that, though Maysun didn't cower in fear when she was in the same room with him anymore, she wasn't exactly a loving daughter either. Of course, Jasper was practical enough to know there was a very real possibility that she would never be too caring towards him, but he was relatively certain that she'd eventually be okay to at least let him talk to her.

Though he didn't see it happening in the couple of weeks they had left before the adoption agency decided if they could have Athenodora as well.

The doorbell buzzed, signaling the arrival of his mom, and sending Maysun scurrying to the corner of the living room.

He stood from where he was sitting on the couch to go to the door but stopped as Alice beat him there and opened it.

"Irina, we're so glad to have you."

"I get to meet my new granddaughter, of course, I had to come." Irina looked around the room before spotting Maysun. "What's she doing in the corner like that? Doesn't she want to meet her new grandmother?" She frowned then. "Honestly, I'm too young to be a grandmother. Maybe I should have introduced myself as an aunt instead."

Jasper was watching Maysun carefully, hoping the over exuberance of his mother didn't terrify her. Maysun glanced around, her eyes landing on Alice next to Irina and for a moment she appeared completely frozen before she got up and raced straight over to couch, climbing on and wrapping her arms around him.

He was so shocked by her sudden decision to come to him that he didn't know what to do until he heard a quick clap.

Jasper glanced over to Alice and Irina still at the door to find Alice grinning like a cat who just ate the canary.

He narrowed his eyes slightly and mouthed, 'You planned this, didn't you?'

Alice shrugged slightly, clapping her hands together again.


	188. Chapter 187 - Vitamins (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 187 – Vitamins (Emmett)**

He was an asshole. He knew it too, leaving Rosalie,  _his fiancee_ , alone on Thanksgiving. But he needed time and space. He hadn't been prepared to learn what he'd just found out and didn't know what to do with the information now that he knew.

How had he not known that his big brother was ill? Terminally so, at that.

Emmett was the first to admit that he didn't know all that much about STDs. He'd pretty much deliberately slept through that portion of his classes. Given how much he enjoyed sex, he hadn't wanted to know anything about things like Crabs, Gonorrhea, Chlamydia, Syphilis, HIV, AIDS, HPV, etc. – such info might have given him indefinite blue balls, and he hadn't wanted that. Though somewhere in the back of his mind, he was pretty sure HPV and AIDS were one and the same... or maybe it was HIV. His limited memory of those classes reminded him of the teachers talking about AIDS and saying it was basically a death sentence.

Emmett also remembered back to shortly after he'd moved in with his big brother, back when he'd kicked himself out of his mother's house. He'd seen his brother taking pills even then and had once asked his brother about them, but Garrett had assured him they were just vitamins.

Emmett had  _wanted_  to believe him, and so he had. It was really that simple. The last thing he ever wanted was to think of the possibility of losing his big brother.

It might not seem it to everyone, as he and Garrett sometimes went weeks without so much as a conversation anymore, but he truly loved his big brother.

Garrett and Jasper were the only family he had – Victoria didn't count – and he couldn't imagine a world without either of them. Especially now that he'd soon have a child in his life. He wanted his kid to have everything that he hadn't growing up. Including a big family and a huge support system.

Then there was Bree...

Like he'd already pointed out. He was an asshole.

He sighed and walked further into the forest.


	189. Chapter 188 - Dishes (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 188 – Dishes (Bella)**

She finished off her second helping of the meal she'd made for Edward and herself. She hated being pregnant with twins because eating for three was going to end up making her the size of a small blimp before she gave birth.

Edward had been solemn all through dinner and hadn't been talking at all.

It had given her the whole meal to think, more like argue with herself in her mind about how harsh she was being with him. He was trying, she  _knew_ he was trying. She just wished he'd try a little to remember to think before he acted – to think before he spoke.

And Bella was aware that some of what was causing it was the fact that it was his first time being drug-free in years, and though the natural assumption was he'd be sharper because of it, the reality was different. The reality was that for some people after getting clean, and it was clear to her that Edward fell into this category, that they fell into a haze of confusion and it took considerable time to get used to being sober and thinking with a clear head.

She just needed to give him time and be patient with him... Her only problem was she wasn't sure she could really handle the stress at the moment, nor was she sure her hormones would let her.

Bella reached out and took one of Edward's hands. "I'm sorry, I know my attitude has been, while not completely unjustified, still unfair to you."

Edward frowned slightly. "But..."

"No buts. You're trying, Edward, and I just need to remind myself of that." She got up from her chair – not an easy feat for her anymore, but unless her doctor put her on bed rest, she was determined to continue to live her life – and grabbed Edward's and her empty plates.

Edward hastily got up and took the dishes from her. "I can do the dishes."

She halted him from going into the kitchen by putting her hand on his arm. "I'm afraid of what our future may hold, neither of us is exactly what most consider to be normal, and I'm worried we're going to fail. But I want you to remember that, no matter what, I love you."

The look in his eyes told her she'd confused him again and he opened his mouth for a moment before closing it. He swallowed, finally stating, "I love you too."


	190. Chapter 189 - Glee (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 189 – Glee (Alice)**

_**December 8th, 2011** _

She let out a shriek of glee when she got to the bottom of the letter she'd found in the mailbox.

Maysun, who'd been sitting on the couch playing the stupid bird and pig game which was on her phone, jumped at the sound and darted up the stairs.

Alice flinched slightly at the sight before she looked at the last line of the letter again.

_After careful examination of your treatment of Maysun Khalif, we are happy to inform you that you've been approved to adopt Athenodora Farkas._

She squealed again.

"See. She's being scary."

The voice, one Alice didn't hear very often, caused her to look back to the stairs and find Maysun hiding halfway behind Jasper's leg.

Jasper arched an eyebrow at Alice. " You heard her. You're being scary."

"I can't help it. We're going to get Athenodora." She jumped in place and clapped her hands together animatedly.

"Only if you don't scar Maysun for life with your overtly animated enthusiasm," he pointed out, crossing his arms over his chest.

Alice stopped her jumping up and down, eyeing Maysun who was still standing behind him, finding Maysun watching her in turn.

"She's not in her protective ball. And she hasn't escaped to her room. So I'm going to say I'm not scaring her that much."

"You're pushing, Alice."

No, she wasn't...

Well, maybe a little bit.

But she didn't think the counselor that they'd been taking Maysun to, truly knew what the fuck he was talking about. His opinion that they should wait for her to open up on her own was a bunch of crap as far as Alice was concerned.

Alice had been abused, she understood fear, and she knew a person never learned to function through it – potentially even get over it – by coddling them. And, okay, she knew that each person was different, but so far her gentle nudges had afforded relatively positive results... though Alice was less than enthused by the fact that Maysun now ran to Jasper more than her.

"And?" she asked.

"We're not supposed to push."

"Says the idiot shrink."

He snorted.

"Do you disagree?"

Jasper opened his mouth, but then looked away, his mouth shutting without a word.

"Yeah, the shrink's an idiot," Maysun said it in the weird half-shout, half-mutter that only kids could ever do.

Alice slammed her hand over her mouth, biting down hard on her tongue to keep from laughing out loud.

"If she repeats that to her psychiatrist, I'm blaming you, Alice."

Alice fluttered he hand in the air as she got the urge to laugh under control, waving away his concerns. "Maysun, do you want some breakfast? French toast, perhaps?"

Maysun frowned thoughtfully for a moment and then nodded, scooting by Jasper and dashing down the stairs.


	191. Chapter 190 - Limitations (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 190 – Limitations (Jacob)**

"So I can go home?" he asked the doctor for confirmation.

"Yes, aside from continuing your rehab, there isn't much more we can do for you here. You'll just have to come in for your appointments."

Jacob would have to figure out how he'd do that. In all that had happened, he hadn't thought to badger his car insurance into getting his money. But even with the money they'd pay him, it wouldn't be anywhere near enough to pay for a handicap accessible van, which he knew he was going to need for the time.

He was able to do a few things for himself now, but he still couldn't really walk, or at least not for more than a few steps with a damn cane, but he could force himself into a sitting position, could even use the muscles he had in his arms – muscles he'd got working on cars – to transfer himself from the hospital bed to a chair. Unfortunately, that was about the extent of what he could do, and it left a lot of limitations for when he went home.

Wherever home truly was.

There was no way he was about to stay in the same place where his little brother had died. But he knew Bella was staying at their place and he couldn't possibly burden her with the responsibilities of the things that would need to be done – perhaps if she weren't pregnant, he'd consider it, but even then he wasn't sure.

The truth was, until he could fully get around on his own, he was a burden to whoever he ended up staying with.

It was why part of him was considering his sister but knew he wasn't ready to talk to Rachel again... He wasn't actually sure he'd ever get to that point.

"Thank you for the info, Dr. Goff."

The doctor nodded and headed back out of his hospital room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: Quick note, over the next few days, I may update three or even four times a day. There's only a few (sixteen) actual chapters left, and I want to get them out as quickly as possible so I can hopefully complete both the epilogue and afterward by the end of May.


	192. Chapter 191 - Boyfriend (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 191 – Boyfriend (Bella)**

"Up," Claire demanded loudly.

"I'd like to, Claire Bear, but I can't currently." She patted her belly.

"UP!"

Edward stepped over and picked her up. "Here you go."

Bella smiled slightly at the sight of him holding her before Claire's eyes widened, and she let out a shrieked, "Stranger danger!" Then proceeded to scream loudly.

Bella slammed her hands over her ears, wincing at the instant headache that Claire's loud squeal caused. "He's not a stranger!" she half-shouted to try and make sure Claire heard her.

Claire broke off suddenly. "Oh?"

"You've met him before, Claire." Not that Claire would remember, Edward had been in the hospital when Claire had been born and had met her then. Honestly, Bella wasn't even sure he remembered it, as he'd been there because he'd had his stomach pumped earlier that day after overdosing. She didn't look too closely at his face as she didn't want to know if he did or didn't remember.

"I has? Then who's he?" Claire's mouth rounded in an innocent mystification.

"Yes, you have. And he's Edward. He's my..." She trailed off, trying to determine the best thing to call him. Friend was her first instinct as it had always been what she openly called him, but it wasn't accurate. And lover wasn't a suitable answer to give a child. Finally, she continued what she'd been telling Claire, "My boyfriend."

Claire's lip pouted out slightly. "But where's Jakey?"

She sighed. "Jake and I are taking some time apart. Our marriage wasn't working very well lately."

"But love him?"

In spite of the fact that her little half-sister's question wasn't fully formed, Bella still understood. "Yes, I love Jake, and I do believe that he loves me. I'm sure, to some extent, we'll always love each other, but times have changed us, and we need to live separate lives."

"With him?" She pointed at Edward, poking him in the cheek as she did so.

Bella stared into Edward's eyes as she replied, "Yes, with him."


	193. Chapter 192 - Dial (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 192 – Dial (Emmett)**

He put his phone down as he looked at the phone number – which he'd totally used force resources illegally to get – that sat in front of him on the printed off piece of paper.

Not only did he have Vera's phone number, but he had her address, her current wages, and a whole slew of other proprietary information which he shouldn't.

Emmett had told himself again and again that he wasn't going to reach out and try to get to know Bree, but the closer Rosalie got to her due date – the bigger she got – the more he contemplated reaching out and trying to get to know the daughter he hadn't even realized he had. So much so, that he'd gathered the info to call.

Emmett picked up his phone and typed the area code in slowly, halting his typing when he got to the prefix. He quickly pressed the end button on the phone to erase what he typed, sitting his phone down again.

He got up then, pacing the floor of his office at the police station, more than a little glad that his door was closed so his two deputies couldn't see his indecision... Not that it was the first time he'd paced his office.

Perhaps he should take Rosalie up on the offer to make that mother/daughter line, but he knew what her business meant to her. And he knew something with such a huge potential to flop, especially if it did, could completely sink her business – no matter how well she was currently doing. He didn't understand a hell of a lot about fashion, aside from satin boxers, but he did understand that the fashion industry was a fickle beast. It was the type of thing that could go from flaming hot to subzero from even a tiny mistake, forget about a major error.

Emmett sighed and walked back to his phone, picking it up and starting to dial. After typing the first five digits, he placed it back on the desk.

Emmett paced back and forth in his office for another minute before grabbing his phone up yet again, dialing the full number and pressing talk before he convinced himself not to go through with it.

He put the phone to hear and listened to it ring five times before it went to voicemail.

"This is Vera's phone, I'm not available right now, but please leave a message at the beep, and I'll get back to you."

_Beep._

He opened his mouth, but nothing came out. After a second, he hit end without saying anything.


	194. Chapter 193 - Petty Pilfering (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 193 – Petty Pilfering (Leah)**

"I can call Bella and get her to sell that property, I suppose," Jake said slowly from where he was sitting on the hospital bed.

Leah was tempted to tell him to do just that. He wasn't going to need the property anytime soon anyway, if he ever would. And getting rid of it would further separate him from Bella. Okay, she knew she was being petty, but who could actually blame her?

She sighed. "Don't, I have some money I can use to buy a van with."

"How do you have any money at all? I know where you work and waitressing at the fine Forks diner isn't exactly a high paying job."

She looked away from him. "I got another job working for Josh Uley."

"How long ago was this?"

"A couple months," she grumbled.

"Well, unless you guys happened to catch the biggest tuna ever recorded, I can't imagine that you've pulled together that much money."

She knew she was about to get herself in trouble. "I didn't say I was fishing." Though she had been doing that too.

"Oh? And just what could you have been doing for Josh that could have amassed any serious amount of dough?" His voice was scathing as he asked his questions.

She bit her lip, trying to think of a fast explanation that wasn't a complete lie.

"Please don't tell me you've been helping him smuggle stuff."

To her knowledge, Josh wasn't a smuggler, though some of the other fishermen had been known to do it in the past. "No... not smuggling. More like petty pilfering." She pressed her two index fingers together as she kept her eyes firmly on her hands.

"Pilfering? Of what?"

"Well, he might have found an old shipwreck a ways off the coast."

"And did he report his finds."

"Umm..." Leah hated the third degree.

"You know what? Never mind. I don't want to know. One of these days, one of your stupid stunts is going to get you in the type of trouble that there's no return from."

"It was a one-time thing, okay?" Actually, it took several days to get everything up, and she wouldn't be against doing it again – she liked to scuba-dive, and the thrill was an added bonus – but that was beside the point. "It didn't hurt anyone, and now I have a little bit of money that I can use to get the vehicle you're going to need... And I'll talk to mom, you might be able to stay there for a while." She might be able to as well. After all, she could barely stomach stepping foot in the apartment she'd shared with Seth.

"I don't think Sue would appreciate me being there."

"I have blackmail material," she muttered under her breath before smiling and saying louder, "Just let me work on it."


	195. Chapter 194 - Balance (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 194 – Balance (Edward)**

"So I'm your boyfriend, am I?" he asked after they took Claire back to Sue.

"I said that for her sake, Edward."

"But you also said you intend to continue your life with me."

She didn't respond at first, finally slowing her truck down and pulling it off on the side of the road. She sighed. "Edward, I don't know if we'll ever make a relationship work. Part of me believes we shouldn't even try. But no matter what, you've always been a huge part of my life. And I don't intend to change that in the future. After I married Jacob, I let our friendship become a secret, and I don't want that anymore. For you to stay sober, to continue getting better, you need there to be a balance in your life."

He frowned. "What do you mean by balance?"

"Even if I had invited you along in the past to spend a lunch with some of my friends or go to the beach with my little half-sister, it never would have worked. The only thing you were ever interested in was the drugs – in forgetting the pain of your past by any means. There was no balance in your life. And using me as your only crutch is not going to give you balance any more than that did. You need to start learning to live. Even if we never end up truly together, I can at least make sure and be enough a part of your life so I can help you find the balance you never originally had."

He wasn't sure he agreed. He knew Bella's friends; Jessica, Mike, Eric, Katie, Ben, Angela, Tyler... They'd been Alice's friends too. But he'd never got along with any of them.

"Umm –" he started.

"I know what you're about to say, but you never even gave any of them a chance. I'll be the first to admit that you'll probably never get along with Mike. Anymore, I don't even really get along with him either. But most of them you'd like. They're good people, Edward, and if you can learn to live outside of your own world, then it'll help you to have a reason to not go back to the drugs."

"Hmm." He couldn't think of anything else to say.

She reached over, grabbing his hand and squeezing gently. "I love you. I want you to never forget that. But I'm not sure it's enough for us to ever truly be boyfriend and girlfriend." She pulled her hand back and restarted the truck, pulling out onto the road.

Edward turned his head to look out the side window, not sure how to reply to it.


	196. Chapter 195 - Paperweight (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 195 – Paperweight (Rosalie)**

_**December 15th, 2011** _

She curled in towards her desk at the stab of pain in her belly, gritting her teeth to keep from groaning.

She swore to herself that if she ever found herself face to face with God, she was going to tell him to put himself through nine months of a fucking pregnancy. More importantly, she'd tell him to make sure every woman could watch him and laugh at him the first time he had a craving for pickles on ice cream – seriously, pickles and ice cream – his feet swelled, or her new  _favorite,_ Braxton Hicks.

It was so obvious a _man_ had made it all. He deserved a chance to feel it himself, then maybe he'd do away with some of the more painful, stupid, and downright embarrassing parts of being pregnant.

"Are you alright?" Emmett asked as he spotted her on his way to work.

She gritted her teeth, counting to five in her head, before straightening up. "I'm fine.  _Your kid_ , on the other hand, likes to play pretend and give me fake motherfucking contractions."

"I'm pretty sure that isn't how it works," he pointed out.

She picked up her metal paperweight off of her desk and hurled it at him. She didn't want to hear his logic. He was a man, just like the asshole that came up with the original scheme of women getting pregnant.

"Until you're carrying a fifty-pound watermelon that likes to bruise you from the inside, shut it," she snarled as he ducked out of the way of her projectile.

Emmett looked around the room suspiciously. "I see you have lots of objects to throw at me... I'm just gonna... get out of your hair. Love ya."

He ducked back out of the office as she narrowed her eyes at his retreating form, picking up her stapler and hurling that as well before crossing her arms over her chest.

Rosalie did not like being pregnant. She kept on being told by random people, strangers, and Emmett that she simply glowed. She wanted to show them just how well she  _glowed_. She knew how to give a good knuckle-fist sandwich.

Rosalie shook her head before she looked back at her computer, trying to remember what project she'd been working on.


	197. Chapter 196 - Silver Inlay (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 196 – Silver Inlay (Edward)**

He hadn't been able to stop thinking about Bella's words, which had left him wondering if there was any chance at all that he and she would have the future a part of him had always wanted.

Edward sighed and pulled out his wallet, grabbing the business card he'd somehow never thrown away in spite of swearing he was going to.

The business card, embossed in fancy silver inlay, was for the rehab facility – and more importantly, the man who ran it – where he'd spent three long months of his life. Turning the card over and over in his hands, he wasn't really sure if he wanted to call the man.

But... he needed someone to talk to.

Edward stopped rotating the card and dialed the number into his phone, pressing talk.

It rang three times before there was finally an answer. "This is Doctor Carlisle Masen, how may I assist you?"

"Carlisle, this is Edward."

There was a moment of silence before Carlisle responded, "This is a surprise, how may I help you, Edward?"

He wasn't sure, just knew that with Carlisle, even though most of the time he'd avoided talking to the man, he'd never felt judged – a first from anyone other than Bella.

In school, there'd been a time when he'd tried to get help, but the counselor, school nurse, and even the principal had all always scoffed at the idea that his father, a respected politician, could be anything other than a good man. He'd heard others' opinions about his saint of a father so often that there were times when even he wasn't sure that he wasn't making it all up.

Edward bit his lip for a moment before blurting out. "Can you counsel me?"

"That's not really a function I'm supposed to do. My job is as a facilitator to help people start their recovery. There were a couple of excellent psychiatrists listed on the papers that I gave you though, or if none of them will work, I can suggest a few others," Carlisle said slowly.

"Never mind. That's alright." He hung up the phone without waiting for a reply.

He placed the phone down, glancing again at the card with the fancy inlay.


	198. Chapter 197 - Chicken Fingers (Alice)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 197 – Chicken Fingers (Alice)**

"Can we make chicken fingers?" Athenodora asked as she looked through the items in the fridge.

"We should warn her not to stick her head too far in. After all, she might fall in, and the door magically slam shut behind her or something," Jasper muttered under his breath.

She snorted before focusing back on the little girl. Athenodora was far more inquisitive and open than Maysun, having already explored the entire house at least two dozen times since she'd arrived yesterday.

"She talks too much," Maysun said softly from where she was sitting on the floor with Alice's phone in her hands.

"Sure, we can make chicken fingers," Alice said, though she didn't remember there being any chicken in the fridge.

Sure enough, a moment later, Athenodora said, "Then we need chicken."

Alice frowned thoughtfully. "Check in the freezer, we might have some there."

It took Alice a solid five minute to get the latches which were on the appliances in the kitchen to release, but it took Athenodora all of two seconds to get into the freezer.

"Meatballs, tv dinners, hamburger, ribs, ice cubes..." Athenodora randomly listed off some of the items in the freezer. "Nope, no chicken."

Alice had been pretty sure there wasn't any, but she'd hoped she was wrong.

"Okay, I guess we'll have to make a trip to the grocery store." She looked at Jasper.

'You shouldn't have told her yes to begin with,' he mouthed.

Alice arched an eyebrow at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

He gave her an exasperated look as if to ask, 'Seriously?'

She nodded vigorously.

Jasper shook his head but got up from the couch. "Okay, I'll go pick up chicken for chicken fingers."

"Can I come?" Athenodora asked immediately, her eyes lighting up.

"Sure." He shrugged slightly, heading toward the door.

She dashed after him, slipping into her sandals before they left the house.

The instant the door shut, Maysun got up from the floor and moved over to sit beside Alice on the couch.


	199. Chapter 198 - Chocolates (Jasper)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 198 – Chocolates (Jasper)**

"Why couldn't you want something that we had at the house?"

Athenodora shrugged slightly as they walked down the aisle for the candies. "Hilda always called me obstinate." She changed the topic suddenly. "You should get some caramels. Maysun likes caramels."

"Yes, I remember you telling Alice that in New York."

"Well, it's true. I could tell you info about all the girls in the orphanage."

"And why's that?" Jasper asked as he pulled a bag of caramels off the shelf and dropped it into the basket.

"I'm observant and never forget anything. Or maybe I just like to make things up. Guess it depends on who you ask..." She paused suddenly, looking at the bags of fancy chocolates.

He recognized the area she was looking at because Alice's secret guilty pleasure was located in the same section. His wife loved the round truffles from the company based out of Switzerland that he could never remember the name of.

"Is there something that you want?"

"Those." She pointed at the bags that contained the little chocolate squares.

He grabbed the bag off the shelf and placed it in the grocery cart with the caramels. "Okay, let's go find a package of chicken so you can have your chicken fingers tonight."

"And honey mustard. Dip for chicken fingers is a must. Maysun likes to dip things in french dressing. I forgot to check and see if you had that."

They didn't. He liked blue cheese, and Alice liked ranch, as it had always been just the two of them, they never really kept anything else.

"Okay, we'll get that stuff, anything else?" he responded as they got to the meat row. He quickly picked out a package of the boneless skinless chicken breasts before heading towards the row with the condiments and dressings.

"French fries?" Athenodora asked, her voice hopeful.

He shook his head, wondering how often his meals were going to be child dictated going forward.

"Sure, we can get some potatoes and make them fresh. I'll put a special seasoning blend on them. You'll like it." His special seasoning was nothing more than a blend of chili powder and paprika.

She didn't say anything for a couple of minutes as he got the dressings and they walked to the produce area of the store. Finally, she asked, "Special seasoning? Is that like the special sauce which is really just thousand islands?"

He chuckled. "You'll just have to wait and see."


	200. Chapter 199 - Voicemail (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 199 – Voicemail (Bella)**

She sat down next to where Edward was sitting, holding a business card.

"What's going on?" she asked softly.

"I thought he'd help me," he muttered under his breath.

"You thought who'd help? And with what?"

He dropped the card he was holding on the coffee table without saying anything, and she reached over, picking it up. "Carlisle Masen? Who is this?"

"He was the owner of the rehabilitation center I went to. I thought he understood me, thought he cared. But he doesn't have time for me now." He sounded completely lost as he spoke.

"What did you want him to help you with?"

"He... he didn't judge when I was there. But I wasn't ready to talk then. I'm still not sure that I'm there, but he  _knew_. He knew my mom, knew my dad wasn't the saint everyone thinks him to be... knew I was struggling. I thought he could help."

She frowned slightly. She didn't know all the details of what he was talking about. "Let me see what I can do. The facility you went into has good marks." In fact, they had the best in the state. She knew, she'd looked it up after she'd discovered he'd gone there. She still wasn't clear on what had convinced him to go into rehab in the first place. He'd just suddenly gone, as far as she could tell.

"You think you can?"

"I can try." She got up from the couch and stepped away, heading toward the kitchen. She dialed the phone number from the card as soon as she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket.

It rang a couple of times before it went to voicemail. "You've reached the office of Doctor Carlisle Masen, my normal office hours are eight am to six pm. If you are calling during regular hours, please leave a message, and I'll get back to you as soon as possible as I may be with someone, otherwise try back tomorrow." The phone beeped.

"My name is Bella, and I'm the legal power of attorney to Edward Cullen, who you helped not that long ago. If you could give me a callback, I'd like to talk with you about getting him future help." She hung up the phone then and placed it on the kitchen counter as she went to get herself some strawberries.

Bella only just pulled the strawberries out of the fridge when the phone rang.


	201. Chapter 200 - Remotes (Jacob)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 200 – Remotes (Jacob)**

Jacob rolled the wheelchair out to the living room of Sue's small house.

He was already completely sick of it. Frankly, whoever decided wheelchairs were better than putting people out of their misery needed to be shot. Though, he knew he was luckier than a lot of people confined to them. Because one way or another he wasn't going to spend decades in it.

The only reason he hadn't done something extreme yet was because he was slowly –  _very slowly_  – learning how to walk again.

"Whatcha doing?" Embry asked from where he was sitting on a bean bag with a game controller in his hands.

Quil, sitting cross-legged next to Embry, shot down one of the robots – Jake was pretty sure they were actually aliens, not that he'd ever paid attention to the cinematic scenes for the games, but very little could truly be discerned from the semi-formed graphics.

Jake forced his mind from the morose as he focused on his two half-brothers and rolled closer to the tv, leaning forward enough to pick up one of the extra remotes. "I'm about to school my two kid brothers on the finer points of game-play. Change it over to three-player."

"Yeah right, like an old man like you could possibly be better at this game than us," Quil said pointedly as Embry paused and saved, going into the settings to switch over the number of players.

"I'm not old."

"Sure you're not, what are you now? Like forty?" Embry asked.

He snorted. "If I'm forty, that makes you two almost thirty."

"Ewww!" they exclaimed in unison.

"I should jinx the two of you." He pointed out as he got used to moving his character around with the little joystick.

"Jinx is a game for little kids," Embry stated in a super confident voice.

"Hate to break it to you. But you are little kids."

"Are not!"

"Am not!"

He'd spent more time with his kid half-brothers in the last three days than he had in years, and he couldn't help but admit that riling them up was fun.

"Really? If that's right, then tell me what type of oil that dirt bike of yours uses." He'd been promising for months to start teaching them about how to fix vehicles, but between when he was working for Dowling and then when he started working on his own property, he'd never had time to do so.

"Ummm..." Embry started.

"Not sure, you haven't taught us yet," Quil grumbled.

"Then, you're still little kids." He shot down one of the robot things to punctuate his words.


	202. Chapter 201 - Study (Edward)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 201 – Study (Edward)**

He knocked on the door at the address that Carlisle had provided after Bella had convinced him to counsel him.

There was a brief wait before the door opened to show Esme on the other side. "Come on in, Edward."

She stepped to the side, letting him inside. Inside, the house was small, no grand hall or sweeping wrap-around staircase like the place he'd grown up in, but he couldn't help but feel like he was in his childhood home with Esme's next comment.

"Carlisle has a study just down the hall and to the left, he'll meet you in there."

Edward just barely avoided flinching from the memories which surfaced because of her words as he went down the hall and entered the room where Carlisle sat behind a small desk.

"Welcome to my house, Edward."

"Thanks for seeing me."

Though two hours into the three and a half hour drive to Kent, WA from Forks and he'd been questioning his sanity.

"My study isn't really set up for me to see people, but we'll have to make it work."

"It's fine." He took a seat next on the small leather sofa in the room.

"So, you want my help with your continuing recovery?" Carlisle watched him seriously.

"Yeah –" he stopped to clear his throat "– I mean, yes."

"Very well, so I asked you several questions when you were in rehab that you never were able or willing to answer. Can we start with the one you've always seemed to have issues with? Why are you here?"

He'd been prepared for it. Carlisle's ability to ask that specific question seemed never-ending. "I need help, need to get better."

"Yes, I suspect you've needed both for years, but the question is, do you want it?"

That was a harder question for him to answer. Finally, he shrugged. "I'm not sure."

"Nothing we do will stick unless you actually want it, Edward. Millions of people need help, but far less actually want it. And that right there will be the difference between failure and success."

"I... I get that." He closed his eyes for a moment. "But I don't know what I want."

"We'll have to work with that for now then. What made you turn to drugs in the first place?"

He frowned, trying to remember when he first started, trying to remember what had caused him to try his first ever drug. The obvious reason had been his dad, but something had pushed him to it, and he couldn't remember what the push had been for the life of him.

"Okay, no answer. Maybe that's too difficult to answer for now. Let's try something else instead. How have you been doing since you got out of rehab?"

Edward opened his mouth for a moment before snapping it shut without answering. He wasn't sure how to vocalize his confusion.

"Hmm. Have you contemplated starting your habits back up?"

Edward was sure the answer to that was obvious. He'd heard the line, 'Once an addict, always an addict,' more than once in his past.

Carlisle sighed. "Edward, perhaps this is too soon for you. Because the only way counseling works is if you actually open up. Perhaps we should try this some other time." He stood from his chair.

"Wait!" Edward pleaded. "I just don't know how to start."

Carlisle sat back down. "Start anywhere you like. Just start. A sentence, a word, some part of yourself."

He took a deep breath before blurting, "My father used to molest me, and I'm still not sure what he did was actually wrong." He looked down at his hands in despair.


	203. Chapter 202 - Water Break (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: I'd warn you... but if you haven't figured it out yet that this is a mature story, then a warning would be pointless.

**Chapter 202 – Water Break (Rosalie)**

_**December 21st, 2011** _

She'd never really been one to enjoy having sex on her side, but horny and eight months pregnant made her willing to have sex in any position she could. The only problem was, with them both on their sides, she simply wasn't getting enough action for her heightened libido.

"More," she demanded as he gently moved in and out of her.

"No," Emmett half-muttered as he kissed the back of her neck. "Mornings are for lazy sex."

He'd told her that a long time ago, back on the morning after their first ever date – of course, back then he'd been trying to get her to stay a little longer.

"Not on this morning. I'm horny." She practically snarled the words.

"Damn, I love it when you talk dirty to me." He ran his hand over her distended belly. "Are you sure it's a good idea?"

The non-horny part of her found his concern cute. The rest of her though... "Fuck me, dammit."

Emmett moved his hand down to her hip as he thrust harder into her, sliding in and out of her with a precision that left her moaning as she turned her head toward the pillow.

"That's it," he murmured before kissing her back, keeping up the pace as he did so.

She clenched her eyes shut as the climax rushed up on her, making her squeeze around him as she gripped the sheets in tight fists.

Suddenly her eyes popped open at the feeling of a liquid, and she pulled off of him just as a contraction – so much more painful than the Braxton Hicks had been – hit her, causing her to keen as she curled in toward her belly.

"Are you alright?" Emmett asked, getting off the bed with wide eyes.

She breathed through the pain before shouting at him "Your big fucking dick broke my water and made me go into labor! No, I am  _not_  alright!"

His eyes widened as he stepped back. "I'll ah... I'll call 911."

"You are 911, you idiot!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: So, stranger than fiction, one of my sister-in-laws actually had this happen. Which is where I stole the idea from.


	204. Chapter 203 - Dive Boat (Leah)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 203 – Dive Boat (Leah)**

She walked around the dive boat with her mom following her.

"Are you sure about this?" Sue asked for the tenth time since Leah had talked her into going with her.

"Yeah, I really think I am. I mean, I'll need to complete first aid, instructor training, and pass my examination, but I already have the hours I'm required to dive logged."

"Then, shouldn't you wait to get your boat until after you complete everything?"

There was some amount of logic in her mom's question, but she knew how good of a deal the dive boat in front of her was. "Dive boats are very expensive when they're brand new, and it's uncommon to find a used one for sale out here, mom. I have to take advantage of this unique opportunity if I'm going to do it."

"Are you sure you'll even get the business to make a career out of it if you go into this line of work?"

It was another valid question, and Leah logically knew her mother was right to vocalize such a concern, yet she couldn't help but get aggravated by it.

"I can keep a normal job and still be a diving instructor."

"Leah..."

"I didn't ask you to come with me to judge my decisions, mother." Leah snapped.

"Well, if you expect me to rubber stamp your continuing decisions to ruin your life, it's not ever going to happen. You could be anything in the world you wanted if you just went to college and got an education."

"When will you ever accept that I'm doing exactly what I want?"

Sue snorted in disdain.

Leah shook her head. "Can you please look over this boat with me and determine if there's any possible damage? You know more about boats than I do."

"I've been looking, nearest I can tell, without having it on the water, it's unblemished."

"Thank you," Leah said fervently. "I'm going to talk with the owner about buying it, then." In some strange way, she truly wanted her mother's approval, but she'd long ago realized she could be the surgeon general, and her mom still would think she was ruining her life.

Sue crossed her arms over her chest.

Leah sighed as she walked away.


	205. Chapter 204 - Cesarean (Bella)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 204 – Cesarean (Bella)**

She ran her fingers through her hair nervously. The waiting room felt unbearably stuffy as she sat in one of the uncomfortable polyester lined chairs. It was a different reason than her normal visit, but she still didn't like being in the hospital.

"When do you think she'll actually give birth?" Edward asked quietly.

"I don't know, labor is a fickle thing. I was in labor with William for close to forty hours. But some people give birth after only an hour or two," she responded just as quietly.

"Forty hours!" In spite of the fact that he was still whispering, he had the kind of horror in his voice that only a male talking about things which had to do with female stuff could have.

She chuckled softly. "Don't worry. It won't take that long with my twins. I'm going to have a cesarean with them so the actual birthing will be fairly short."

"Isn't that kind of thing dangerous?"

"There's a risk with any surgery, but all things considered, it's safer than a normal birth since I'm pregnant with twins."

Edward frowned. "I don't want to lose you."

"You won't. Trust me, it's not the first time I'll have undergone this surgery." She'd gone through it with Sarah too, though not by choice.

"And when is this scheduled?"

"The last day in January. Don't worry about it, okay?"

"Hard not to," he grumbled.

"Seriously, everything will be fine. It's a very normal operation to have."

"Okay." He closed his eyes, not saying anything for several seconds before finally asking, "Why are we whispering anyways?"

"I don't know, you started it," she replied instantly.

He blinked. "I did, didn't I?"

She nodded, though she actually got it, he was hardly the first person to find the air of a hospital such that it was difficult to speak normally in.


	206. Chapter 205 - Bowling Ball (Rosalie)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 205 – Bowling Ball (Rosalie)**

"If you ever get near me with that pickle of yours again, I'll make it permanently sterile," she snarled at Emmett.

The nurse in the room with them barely managed to cover a laugh with a cough.

"You don't mean that," Emmett said.

"Want to bet! As far as I'm concerned, you and every other man alive needs to be permanently neutered."

"It shouldn't matter what other men do because it's just you and me going forward, baby."

"HA!" She gnashed her together.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he demanded.

"It means that –" she broke off suddenly, gasping at the sharp pain as another contraction hit her, squeezing Emmett's hand with all of her strength as she did so.

"Oww," Emmett muttered.

She panted as the pain slowly subsided from the intense contractions. "I'm over here, getting ready to push a bowling ball out of a damn pea shoot, and you have the audacity to COMPLAIN ABOUT ME HOLDING YOUR HAND!" Her voice reached a new octave by the time she was done.

He winced. "You're absolutely right, no complaints whatsoever from me."

"You're patronizing tone is not amusing."

"It's your hormones, deary," the nurse pointed out, unhelpfully.

She snorted.

"When is the doctor going to get in here?" Emmett asked, clearly trying to prevent her from going off on the woman.

"He'll be in soon. He has other patients, you know."

She opened her mouth to retort, but Emmett beat her to it. "Really, in our  _giant town_ of thirty-five-hundred people there happens to be someone else in labor at the moment. Yeah, right." He crossed his one free arm over his chest.

Rosalie couldn't help but smile at Emmett's words.

The nurse looked between the two of them for a moment before saying something indiscernible under her breath and exiting the room.

"I knew there was a reason I loved you."

Emmett practically blushed as he said, "Love you too."


	207. Chapter 206 - Bomb (Emmett)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.

**Chapter 206 – Bomb (Emmett)**

He felt like he was holding a bomb in his hand. A six-pound, two-ounce, vocal, jiggling bomb, but a bomb nonetheless.

Technically, he could have delivered their child at home if he'd absolutely had to, as he had the training and even had delivered babies before. He hadn't wanted to though.

Of course, by the time he'd seriously considered punching the nurse – mostly so Rosalie didn't do it, because arresting his fiancee while she was in labor wasn't high on his list of things to do... well, maybe on their third or fourth child – he'd been regretting his decision.

But now he had a little girl in his arms, and he didn't know how to act or what to do. His daughter was already ready to be taken home, but her mom had to wait to get her papers saying she was free to go from the doctor.

So he'd decided to carry her out to meet her family or at least the part of her family that was there. He was disappointed that his big brother wasn't there to meet her and Emmett knew she'd never be able to have a relationship with her only living grandparent, as hell would have to freeze over before he'd talk with Victoria again, but most of the people who counted were there.

He looked down at the miniature living bomb in his arms, born with a light spattering of blondish-pink hair – he knew that wasn't what most people called the hair, but he was not calling her head of hair a fruit – and bright blue eyes, had finally fallen asleep. But he still didn't feel safe while he was holding her.

Finally, he reached the waiting room where Bella and Jasper were, along with Edward, and he used his back to open the door as he went in.

Bella pushed herself off of her chair as he walked toward them.

"A little girl?" she asked softly.

He nodded as Jasper came over, reaching out and gently running his finger down the side of her face. "What are you naming her?

Emmett cleared his throat before declaring, "Morrigan. Morrigan Jemma Whitlock."


	208. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So I debated on what to say here, but at the end of the day, I decided on nothing. I'll see you at the bottom.

**Epilogue**

_**January 7th, 2013** _

Rosalie couldn't believe how quickly time had flown by. It felt like only yesterday she had given birth to her baby girl. Of course, while Morrigan was still definitely a little baby, not even thirteen months old, she was no longer Rosalie's little girl.

Instead, she was one hundred percent her dad's little angel.

"Da-da!" Morrigan squealed from her play chair, proving Rosalie's point.

"Daddy's not home yet, mommy's here though," she said.

"Shih!" The little girl kicked her feet to emphasize the swear she'd picked up all too easily.

"Did your daughter just say shit?" Maggie asked on the other end of her computer screen via their live chat.

"Yes. Yes, she did."

"Do I even have to ask where she picked that up?"

"No, you most definitely do not."

"How is your husband, anyway?"

"He's been nervous all week, keeps on debating about calling off meeting his daughter or not."

"That's today, isn't it? I think I had it penciled in on one of the schedules here."

"Yes, it's today. So it's a little late for him to cancel meeting Bree now."

Maggie chuckled. "I wouldn't know about that, men tend to be good at getting out of important things." She looked down for a moment. "Speaking of important things... The lawyers have managed to delay the court date with Siobhan another eight months. If they keep it up, I suspect she'll eventually give up. And the two tuxes you had Sulpicia custom make are ready."

"That's good, I'll come and pick them up in a couple of days."

"You still haven't told me who they're for..."

"And I'm not going to. Stop being nosy, Maggie."

Her red-headed assistant stuck her tongue out.

Rosalie chuckled as she signed off.

"Stahp!" Morrigan shouted from where she was.

Rosalie rolled her eyes. "Of course you pick that up, but still won't say mommy."

"Stahp!" she shouted again.

Rosalie sighed. "Well, maybe your little brother will love me when he comes in a few months." Her hand dropped to her slightly rounded belly where she was carrying her second child.

…

Meanwhile, just outside of town, it was the grand opening for both Bella's bakery and diner and Jacob's auto repair shop.

Jacob looked up at the sign to his building with a wry grin. The truth was, the sign was always going to be bittersweet for him, and if his brother were alive to see it, he'd mock him for his decision, but he hadn't been able to help but name the place, Seth's Autobody.

It had been a long year for him, filled with more lows than highs, but he'd slowly learned to walk again – then run. Relearning how to slide under cars and twist in the numerous directions to work on different parts had been far more difficult, but he'd slowly taught himself that stuff again too.

His three sustaining lights through it all had been Leah, who he'd come to rely heavily on even as she'd started her scuba diving instruction business, and the twins, Ephraim Caine and Vanessa Elizabeth Black. Even though only Ephraim was his, on a biological level, they both stayed with him every other week.

It had been a shock after Bella had had the twins – one with the dark skin of the people, and the other as pale as day – and it had prompted blood tests to be done. It turned out that Bella's twins had been a case of superfecundation, which was far more common in animals than humans, but wasn't as rare as most people tended to believe it to be.

But, at least now, with Leah going to work at the shop with him on days she wasn't out on the water, he had something to truly look forward to every day. He was even contemplating divorcing Bella at long last so he could marry Leah.

"It's hard to believe it's finally here," Leah said, looking at the repair shop.

She'd expected, over the course of the last year, for everything to go to hell more than once. It had taken every dime she had to get the boat and make a down payment on a house. So, for most of the last year, she'd spent almost every waking hour working; either as a waitress, a fisher, or a dive instructor.

It hardly left her time for anything, least of all, caring for Jacob. And there had been dark days when she'd wondered if when she made it home, she'd find him alive. But they'd made it through those times.

She still didn't know where their future was leading, she had no real place in the twins' lives and no place in the continued familial relationship between Bella and Jacob. But she felt like, finally, after everything, she'd found herself.

She'd finally learned how to be happy in her own shoes without testing the limits of the laws. Though going to work fixing vehicles was one adventure she still wasn't sure she was ready for, but was excited to start, anyway.

Though, her feeling on the property being shared with the diner Bella was going to run wasn't near as positive, and she barely avoided scrunching her nose as she glanced at the building, knowing Bella was inside at the moment.

Bella carefully cased the last loaf of pound cake in one of the boxes as she glanced at the clock. She wasn't ready to open up for her first official day of business. The two people she'd hired to help with waitressing and doing other odd jobs were supposed to arrive in the next fifteen minutes to start their first day. In truth, she'd been doing the baking portion since the week before Thanksgiving, taking pie and cake orders from people around town and delivering them. But there was a difference between doing that and running a full-scale restaurant.

"Are you sure you want me to take Vanessa and Ephraim and go to my sister's for the day?" Edward asked from the office doorway.

"Yes, I'm not going to be able to spend any time with them today, and Alice has been talking about her get together with Jasper's friends and family for days. It'll be good for you to join them." Left unsaid was the fact that if he couldn't deal with one of the twins, then there would be at least six other adults there who could.

She was proud of him, her friend and sometimes lover, as he'd managed to make leaps and bounds in his recovery over the last year, but she still didn't trust him to be alone with the kids. Shamefully, she was relatively certain she never fully would.

He stepped back into the office, picking up their daughter from the pen that was set up in there as she watched. "I still don't get why Vanessa has to have the last name of Black."

She sighed. It was hardly the first time they'd had the conversation about Vanessa having the same last name as her brother. "They'll be in school before we even realize it, Edward. It's gonna be hard enough for them as twins going to school together given how different they look without them having different names too."

It was more than just skin tone. Vanessa had curly brown hair and bright green eyes and a face that could already be described as heart-shaped, while Ephraim had straight black hair and deep brown eyes. They were opposites in every way, they didn't need to have opposing last names too.

"Humph."

She knew if he weren't holding Vanessa, he'd cross his arms over his chest stubbornly.

"Besides, you can't honestly tell me you'd rather she had the last name of Cullen."

Edward looked away at that remark.

"Come on, I'll help you get them loaded in your car."

…

By the time Edward got to his sister's house, everyone else was already there. He'd never even met half of the people that were in the house. If he was honest, the urge to turn tail and run was high, but he wasn't able to escape with his kids before one of his nieces descended upon him.

"Edward!" Athenodora shouted as she ran straight into him, almost toppling him over in her enthusiasm.

Of course, as per Carlisle, who he was still seeing once a week, being a part of things was good for him. However, it still annoyed him that Carlisle had agreed with Bella's assessment of him needing 'balance.' As far as he was concerned, all he needed was for Bella to divorce Jacob so he could ask her to marry him – though he wasn't certain she'd say yes because a lot of the time he still felt more like her pet project than her boyfriend.

"Hey brat," he grumbled, reaching out to muss up her hair. "Where's your sister?"

"On the couch playing on Alice's cellphone." She rolled her eyes.

He was half surprised she wasn't hiding in her bedroom, he'd never met someone quite as introverted as Maysun was.

"Who are all these people?"

"That's uncle Garrett and soon to be uncle Austin, over there." She pointed to the two men who could be seen through the sliding glass door out back with Jasper.

He didn't stop her to tell her that he actually knew who they were.

"And there's grandma Irina with mom in the kitchen. She brought makeup kits for Maysun and me. I think mom would have ripped her head off if it hadn't been for everyone else being here." She paused, looking around, "And those two are Peter and Charlotte. Peter is daddy's war friend.

"They brought Serena with them, she was in the same orphanage as Maysun and me, though she's an adult now. And there's their kids; Cora, Mary, and Makenna. Charlotte wants to talk mom and dad into adopting Kebi, but I don't know about it myself." She pointed at each of the kids as she said their names.

He couldn't actually imagine his sister getting another kid, though he supposed, if anyone could do it, it would be her. His twin was definitely determined enough to do anything she put her mind to.

"Okay, so tell me what's down-low for the menu today."

Athenodora looked around for a moment as if it was a secret before leaning up on her tippy-toes and whispering in a scandalized voice, "Ribs."

In the kitchen, Alice diced the lettuce with a precision that she wished would frighten her mother-in-law.

"Makeup? Seriously, Irina? They're nine and seven!" She hissed. She was still pissed about it.

"And I was using makeup when I was five!"

"Well, just because your mom was a miserable excuse for a mother, doesn't mean I am." She knew the instant it was out of her mouth; she was going to regret it. But the whole day was supposed to be for Garrett and Austin, who'd only announced a few weeks prior that they were engaged, and she couldn't believe her mother-in-law's audacity.

Though it was hardly the first time she'd tried to buy her granddaughters affection. In fact, Maysun and Athenodora both now had more diamond jewelry than she'd ever seen in her life. Her engagement ring hadn't even had one diamond, instead having a giant blue sapphire surrounded by fifteen aquamarine accents – her wedding band did have eight diamond accents and nine aquamarine accents on it, but the diamonds probably only totaled all of a tenth of a carat.

"Excuse me!" Irina demanded.

Alice shook her head. "You know what, never mind. I'll just put the stuff up until they're older."

She refused to force the two girls down the road of modeling, even though she knew it was what Irina was none too subtly pushing them towards with the continuing outlandish gifts.

Alice turned to look out at the back porch where her husband was, mouthing, 'Save me.'

Jasper chuckled where he was, but didn't go to his wife's rescue. He knew a battle which would never be won was the one where he tried to control his mom.

"So you and Alice may actually adopt a third?" Austin asked.

"Peter and Charlotte want us to. The remaining kids in the Lost Girls Orphanage are running out of time. I guess the head of the orphanage was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer about a month ago. That's a death sentence. No ands, ifs, or buts about it."

"How many are still at that little run down place?" Garrett asked.

Jasper had told his eldest half-brother about the sad affair of the place only a few months ago. "Eight for now, though if Hilda can keep it running till March, then the oldest one still there will be eighteen and free to leave. If we adopt Kebi, then that'll only leave six there."

"And what will happen to the rest?" Austin rotated the beer, he'd only barely become legal to drink, in his hands as he asked.

"Well, if I remember right, four of them are supposed to be in juvie, and the other two will probably end up hospitalized. It's where, as far as the state of New York is concerned, they belong. Because it's easier to heavily medicate and lock away kids with mental health issues when no one wants them than to actually treat them." He knew it was the case with Renata, a girl with a mild case of schizophrenia, whose parents had abandoned her when it had been discovered.

Austin shook his head. "Isn't there someplace else for them to go?"

"Most people looking to adopt don't want troubled children. And Hilda's rundown halfway house is the last of it's kind there. There's nowhere for them to go except where the state believes they belong." He barely resisted the urge to roll his eyes.

The truth was, for the ones who were left, they'd end up in a system that pretty much guaranteed they'd never have a chance at a true future. They'd be spit out at eighteen or nineteen and end up on the streets hooking or stealing to survive, and probably end up dead and forgotten in the long run.

"We're going to do what we can, but even if Alice and I tried to adopt two more –" they'd talked about it in bed over the last couple of nights, though there was no guarantee they'd get approved to adopt two more "– it's never going to be enough for all of them. Some are going to get left behind."

"It's too bad that it's not allowed for gay couples to adopt," Garrett muttered.

"You could adopt one on your own. You have enough money to do it," Austin said.

"Not with my health."

Jasper focused on the grill to stop from breaking down. He'd only found out that his half-brother had HIV a few weeks prior – at the same time as when Garrett announced he was engaged to Austin – and still wasn't at all okay with the knowledge.

"Maybe they'll allow same-sex couples to adopt soon, after all, they finally legalized same-sex marriage in this state last month," Jasper said as he flipped the ribs.

"Yeah, maybe... but it'll be too late for us to help those girls."

…

Emmett paced the main area of the airport nervously. He was so tempted to walk out, get in his vehicle, and drive off.

He wasn't ready to meet his  _teenage_ daughter.

Honestly, even though he'd known about her for over a year already, he still wasn't used to the idea. If he could go back in time and bash his sixteen-year-old self's head in while telling him to suit up, he would... Not that a condom had prevented Rosalie from getting pregnant.

Emmett still felt like he was holding a little bomb whenever he picked up Morrigan. And soon he'd be dealing with it in duplicate. In only a few more months he'd have a Jariath Sebastian Whitlock to contend with, or maybe Sebastian Jariath Whitlock – he and Rosalie still hadn't agreed on the order of their son's name.

He broke out in a cold sweat as people started coming out from one of the airport terminals. He looked towards the doors to the airport, turning halfway toward them just as a tall woman with a short blond bob raised her hand, waving it at him.

He flinched

It had been more than thirteen years since the last time he'd seen her, and he still recognized Vera Shaw.

He let out a frustrated breath, realizing it was too late for him to flee.

Vera came towards him, a young girl beside her. When they got close, Bree crossed her arms over her chest as she plainly stated, "So, this is my dad."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: At this point, most questions should have been answered, and I could end it here. But I feel this need to go one step farther, so there is an Afterward which will be written and posted in the next few days. It'll be set a few years in the future and will conclude the official story. I'll go into more details with regards to that when I post it.


	209. Afterward

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer: I am not Stephenie Meyer and therefore I do not own Twilight or the wonderful characters I screw with.
> 
> AN: So, I always said this story was about the journey. And that is still true. For some this was a journey to finding each other, for others it was learning how to stand on their own, and for others it was about overcoming the impossible. I want you to remember that as you read this final installment.

**Afterward**

_**February 15th, 2019** _

Emmett picked up his youngest, bouncing the kid on his knee. He knew that a lot of current medical doctors now said it was a bad thing to do, but it was something lots of parents used to do. He knew his father used to and it certainly hadn't hurt him any.

Besides, he liked hearing Jerrimatt, his youngest son, who was barely eight months old, giggle.

Morrigan and Sebastian were in second and first respectively, and Valerie would be starting preschool in the fall. He was truly blessed, even if his relationship with his full-grown daughter was estranged at best.

Bree, when she'd barely turned eighteen – almost two years prior – had run off to join Mustang Ranch in Nevada. He'd only talked to her three times since her decision, and each of those three times had left him wanting to drive down there so he could drag her out of that brothel by her ear.

Of course, as he didn't want to see her in anything other than as full-clothed, he still hadn't done it.

But the fact that she was prostituting herself out for a living made him want to throw up just thinking about it.

And, okay, pot meet kettle and all that, after all, he'd had the same sexual drive that apparently she'd gotten from him. But he was her dad. He could judge and condemn if he damn well pleased.

Garrett would mock him if he heard what he was thinking, but his brother and Austin had flown to Europe at the start of the year to travel for a while, so he didn't have to worry about his joking. Then again, there were other things which concerned him when it came to his big brother, who, in spite of continuing insistence that he was fine, had lost enough weight in the last year that it was noticeable.

But there was nothing he could do when it came to his brother with him halfway around the world.

"Let's go see if we can find your mom and talk her into another little brother," he said, getting up from the chair with Jerrimatt.

Even though there was only two girls and Rosalie, he seriously felt that there was too much estrogen in the house. He needed more testosterone in his life.

He headed downstairs with his son in his arms, knowing he'd find her in her office. It tended to be where she was most of the time, still married to her job as much as he was.

Once Emmett got downstairs, he entered her office, finding Valerie in a little playpen in the room with her.

"DADDY!" Valerie shouted when she spotted him.

"I'll leave you to your family time." A voice he distinctly recognized as belonging to Maggie said through the computer.

Rosalie barely resisted the urge to roll her eyes as Maggie hurried to sign off. At this rate, Maggie and she were never going to get the wedding anniversary gift she wanted to have made for Emmett designed. It was their seven year anniversary in three short months, and she wanted his gift to be perfect. Of course... who knew how hard it would be to design a tux with copper threading used tastefully?

"The answer's still no," she said preemptively when he opened his mouth.

He snapped it shut, then started again after a second. "But –"

"Emmett, we already have four beautiful children. It's enough. I don't want to be pregnant again. I'll be thirty-five next month, and you'll be thirty-seven soon. Even as it is, Jerrimatt won't be out of the house until we're both in our fifties. It's one thing – if an accident occurs – but to deliberately have another child at this point is insanity. And even if I do get pregnant again, should it happen to be a boy, we  _will not_ name him Demetri."

"Why not?"

"Do you want to be the one that explains to him why we named a child after my latex blood-red –" she glanced at Valerie "– toy?"

He snorted. "Nah, I was thinking we'd tell him that he was named after your first boyfriend."

She glared at her husband.

"What? It's accurate."

She glanced at her metal paperweight for a moment before looking back at him. "You are so lucky that you have our son in your arms."

"He does make a perfect shield from your projectiles."

She arched an eyebrow at him. "Our son is not a shield!"

"Really? I don't see any flying objects." He grinned and ducked out of the room before she could chuck her paperweight at his legs instead.

Rosalie looked at Valerie in exasperation for a moment before looking back at the suit design on her computer, scrunching her nose in disgust at how distasteful the copper threading looked.

Making digital sketches was the easiest way to get information to Maggie and Sulpicia in Seattle, but in spite of it being easier for everyone on the other end, it just didn't feel as personal as when she'd been drawing her sketches by hand.

And she couldn't help but believe if she could just put pencil to paper than she'd be able to find a better way to incorporate copper thread in a tux.

After a moment of thought, she deleted the sketch and closed out of the software before pulling out one of her old sketch pads to work on her husband's anniversary gift – at least for what time she had until her two oldest got home from school.

Once Morrigan and Sebastian got home, her focus would be on them.

…

Alice closed out the searches she was doing for her daughter, Didyme, finding them to be as fruitless as the last dozen attempts. Didyme's adopted parents had died – she'd read the obituaries for both of them. Samantha had died from a difficult case of breast cancer, and then, just over a year later, Phil had been killed in a car wreck.

Alice had tried to step in and get her daughter, but by the time she reached out to the proper authority, it was already too late, her daughter had vanished without a trace.

In truth, it shouldn't be her concern. She had three loving daughters who cared for her, but she couldn't help but worry about the girl she'd given birth to. She supposed it was why adoptions were naturally closed. If she didn't know everything that she did, then she wouldn't know to look in the first place.

Alice checked the clock on the wall, but there was still two hours until the girls got back from school... well at least that was when they'd get back if they weren't in some sort of club tonight. Of which, they were all involved in several.

She scrunched her nose, trying to remember in there was any clubs any of them went to on Friday nights.

"It's rocket club tonight," Jasper said from where he was in the kitchen, properly interpreting her perplexion.

"I thought that was the third Friday of every month?"

He chuckled. "It's is the third Friday."

"No, it's –" she glanced at the calendar on her computer "– the fifteenth, that's only two weeks this month."

"Two weeks and a day, actually."

Alice rolled her eyes. "Then what are you doing in the kitchen, already?"

"Tuna melts for myself."

Alice got up from her chair, heading into the kitchen. "You're making sacrilege? Make me some too!"

Tuna sandwiches used to be a common staple in their household, but that was before the kids. Now, about the only time they got to munch on the wholly unhealthy sandwiches was when they were at school.

Of course, it would only be a scant two more years before the oldest was moving out and going to college.

Alice still couldn't believe how fast the years with Athenodora, Kebi, and Maysun had flown by.

"I was already planning on it," Jasper said.

He was quiet for a moment as he lined the sandwiches up and slid them in the oven to broil for a few minutes.

Finally, he said, "I'll go pick the girls up tonight, so Athenodora can practice driving."

Alice's nose scrunched-up at the mention of having their oldest drive. She'd only had her permit for three short months and had already totaled Alice's beloved Mazda Miata. In actuality, it had barely damaged the front bumper, but when dealing with a fifteen-year-old car, insurance companies preferred to total vehicles than fix them.

Of course, if he was completely honest, he was still getting a kick out of it as he'd been trying to get Alice to trade vehicles for years. But she'd been stubbornly attached to her little car.

"She's only going to get better if we let her practice," he pointed out gently.

Alice stuck her tongue out at him. "But she won't wreck anything if she doesn't practice."

"We were all teenage drivers at one point."

"Humph." She crossed her arms over her chest.

He chuckled as he pulled the sandwiches out of the oven, placing two on a plate for Alice and handing it over to her.

"It won't be long before Kebi is going to want to be learning to drive as well. Athenodora needs to be semi-proficient at driving by then."

They'd had Athenodora for almost eight years already, and it still was a chore to say her full name, but she'd refused to allow it to be shortened to Dora, Athena, or any other variation they had tried.

Honestly, why did anyone need a five-syllable name?

"Give it up, Jas."

He blinked, focusing back on his wife. "Give what up?"

"Trying to come up with a pet name for Athenodora. She's proud of her name."

"How did you know that was what I was thinking?"

"We've been married for almost twelve years. I ought to know how you think by now."

Jasper grinned.

…

"Order up!" Bella shouted.

She still wasn't sure she'd perfected the art of making crepes, but when she'd offered them as a special for a month about half a year ago, they became a favorite of her customers.

She guessed it meant she was doing something right, but she still wasn't a hundred percent sure – of course, she supposed the old adage of being one's own worst critic was true.

Baking and cooking were truly two of her greatest passions, though being a working mom was far from cheap... but she did what she had to.

After Jacob and she had finally divorced mid 2013, Edward had proposed to her, and she'd said yes. And she'd tried – she truly had – to make it work with him. In fact, they'd stayed together for almost three years, but after his third relapse, just after she'd given birth to Mirabeth, she'd ended up separating from him.

Mirabeth had been a surprise. She hadn't realized she was pregnant at all, probably having gained only five or six pounds over the course of the entire pregnancy, with absolutely no symptoms. When she'd gone into labor without warning, it had been a shock to not only her, but Edward as well. And she knew, logically, that was part of the reason for his third relapse.

But, the thing was, she needed him to be more than he was capable of being.

Their separation wasn't probably what most people would think when they thought of one such thing as he spent most evenings at her place so he could spend time with the kids, and usually stayed the weekend to spend time with Mirabeth – while Vanessa and Ephraim spent weekends with Jacob. To top all of that off, they still weren't divorced.

He was trying, and she knew he was, but, at the end of the day, it wasn't enough.

For her to fully be in a relationship with anyone ever again, she needed a man who was capable of standing beside her through it all. She didn't need a knight in shining armor, nor could she handle being her partner's heroine again and again.

Sometimes, love truly wasn't enough, and she'd finally – after far too long struggling to find fulfillment in her life from love – had accepted that for herself.

After all, had love been enough, Jacob and she would have lasted through it all, but they'd been as doomed to fail as Edward and she had been.

But she was okay, she was happy, she had her children and was successfully running a business on her own. It was enough.

…

"Daddy!"

"Daddy!"

Bella's twins shouted at him as they raced inside after getting done with school for the day.

"Hey, kids." Edward knelt down, lifting up Ephraim.

He knew Ephraim wasn't his biologically, but he still loved the little man. He just wished that his love was enough for Bella to trust him to be alone with the kids.

Instead, if he came by before Bella got off of work, he shared the day with Serena Flores – the woman who'd been visiting his sister about six years prior. He still didn't get what the woman saw in Forks that had made her move here, but she was his kids' permanent babysitter.

"We started reading Old Yeller in class today. The teacher told some of the kids who said they'd watched the movie to not spill anything. Why would they spill something in regards to the book? What does that mean?" Ephraim chattered to him in his arms.

He barely managed to contain his shock that they were letting the kids read such a sad story, and made a note to ask Bella about who their teacher was. They were only in first grade, after all.

"It's spoil, not spill, and what it means is that there are things which happen in stories that are supposed to be..." He trailed off, not sure how to explain it, but finally settled on. "A surprise. And it's unfair for kids who already know what will happen to tell those of you who don't."

"My turn!" Vanessa demanded from the ground, stomping her foot.

He noticed out of the corner of his eye as Serena glanced his way from where she was playing with his other daughter, Mirabeth.

"One sec, Nessie," he said softly, using the nickname that Jacob had coined and irked Bella to no end whenever she was around.

He didn't get the big deal as he thought it was cute, even if it did sound slightly similar to some sea monster in Scotland.

Edward proceeded to put Ephraim down before picking her up. "And what great revelation do you have to share with me?"

His daughter looked toward Serena with a slight pout before leaning in and whispering, "Can't you get rid of her?"

He wished he could, but Bella was queen of the roost in her home and some small – but still extremely annoyed – part of him even understood why Bella insisted that Serena be there if she wasn't.

Because, the truth was, he wasn't quite as good at staying sober as he wished he was. He'd had four relapses since he'd initially gotten off the drugs, and he strongly suspected there'd be more in his future.

"Sorry, kiddo, we can't do that."

Vanessa jutted he lip out before resting her head in the crook of his neck.

…

"I still can't believe she'll be starting preschool in autumn," Leah said as she tickled her oldest's belly.

Jacob chuckled from where he sat in a recliner with their son on his lap. "If you hadn't noticed from Ephraim and Vanessa, they grow up fast."

She scowled. The truth was, she'd gotten quite used to the twins and wouldn't know what to do if they stopped being a part of their lives, but she had a reputation to uphold.

"Still... Melissa will be four in May, it's hard to believe."

"ME, LISSA!" Melissa shouted, half-giggling as she squirmed out of Leah's reach.

"That's right, I'm talking about you. Well, you and your birthday."

"Birthday? I want to see fishies again!"

Leah grinned widely.

"I still can't believe you took her swimming like that for her birthday last year." Jacob shook his head.

She barely resisted rolling her eyes. "I'm a scuba diving instructor, Jake. It's a huge part of my life, and frankly, with us being right on the coast, it's a pretty large part of all our lives. Besides, she had fun."

There was no doubt about it. It was all Melissa had been able to talk about for weeks after her third birthday, and even now, if the slightest hint of it was made, it was the first thing she talked about. It was why Leah was looking into getting a large salt-water tank and filling it with some of the pretty fish of the ocean.

She knew it would end up being her responsibility to clean it, but it was worth it if it entertained Melissa as much as ocean swimming had.

"Swim-swim!" Sean bounced where he sat on Jacob's legs.

She bit her lip to keep from laughing outright as Jacob sighed.

"Of course, I'm going to be stuck with two miniature you's," he muttered, shaking his head again.

He felt like he was surrounded by a bunch of water lovers and okay... His dislike of the water was relatively new, having stemmed from his car wreck not quite eight years ago. But he still was hopeful that one of his kids would take a preference in tinkering with vehicles.

Some people found water to be helpful in learning how to move again, and it was a form of rehab he'd even tried, but unlike some people, his damaged nerves became extremely sensitive in the water. So for him, swimming was completely out.

He suspected he could still fish, but his kids weren't old enough to want to kill fish yet.

"There's nothing wrong with a love of the ocean." Leah crossed her arms over her chest.

And he got it, for her, the water had been a large part of what had saved her from a destructive path that he was relatively certain would have ended with her doing the same thing his brother had.

"So, when is Quil going to start working for you?" she asked, changing the subject.

"Your mom doesn't want him going to work for me until he graduates high school. I agree with her opinion on that. Besides, he won't be eighteen until July, so I'm thinking I'll probably wait till after his eighteenth birthday. If he even still wants to work for me by then."

Embry had been working for him for almost two years, starting at only seventeen, but there had been extenuating circumstances – including him being kicked out of school.

Jacob knew Quil had been hoping that he could convince his mom to let him drop out, but Sue hadn't gone for it.

"I got special insurance to let Embry work for me at only seventeen, and I  _could_  do it again with Quil, but Quil should be focusing on his future. And just because I've made a living out of being a mechanic doesn't mean it's what he should do with his life."

Or what Embry should be doing, but that was a can of worms he wasn't even going to open.

"Hili-mac!" Sean demanded on his lap.

Jacob chuckled, focusing back on his son. "You want chili-mac, eh?"

Sean nodded animatedly.

…

In the dead of night, she opened the upstairs window to one of the spare bedroom's, wondering briefly if it was where her mother had grown up as she slid inside. She'd never even met the woman, as far as she could remember, but she knew her mother had done everything she could to protect her from her history.

And for years, she'd been blissfully happy, aware she wasn't her mom and dad's biological kid, but unconcerned by it.

Then, her mom had died, and she'd gotten curious. So she'd dug.

In fact, she'd dug until she'd found out the truth.

A truth which showed a sickening trend of a man who should have been stopped decades prior.

A truth she wasn't able to undiscover.

Then, her dad had died.

The months that had followed her dad's death had been dark, but she knew they were about to get a lot darker. Frankly, though, she didn't care.

She pulled out the disposable cellphone out of her bag and dialed 911, dropping it on the empty bed without waiting on the operator to come on.

She was relatively sure they'd do a trace, if they didn't, well... she'd tried.

Carefully, tip-toeing to the door and peeking out to make sure the man's butler wasn't roaming the top floor before slipping out of the room and heading toward the last bedroom.

The door squeaked as she opened it, but that was alright. She wanted the man to know who she was.

A light came on a moment later as an older man sat up in his bed.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Is that any way to talk to your granddaughter? Or perhaps I'm your daughter... I'm still not sure on the details of how  _that_  works," she said, reaching into her black bag.

"My what?" He sounded scandalized.

"I'm your daughter's daughter. And yours. It's disgusting, really. But don't worry, I intend to fix it and make sure you're never allowed a chance to do such a thing again." Didyme pulled the gun out of her bag, raising it, and pulling the trigger.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AN: And that concludes the main story. The cut-takes will not be ending any time soon though, and I already have some scenes planned, but if there's any specific cut-take(s) you want to see, feel free to ask.


End file.
